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The world’s dangerous complacency about nuclear terrorism

the summit in Seoul called only for further voluntary reductions by the end of 2013. That is a weak commitment: the International Panel on Fissile Material estimates world stocks of HEU at 1,300 tonnes, plus 450 tonnes of separated plutonium. 

Nuclear security, Threat multiplier Dangerous complacency about nuclear terrorism The Economist, Mar 31st 2012 | SEOUL NUCLEAR mayhem can come from rogue states or badly run power stations. That fact escapes nobody in South Korea, just a mountain range away from rocket-mad North Korea, and with Japan’s stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi plant across the sea.

But it was a third threat—terrorism—that brought leaders from 53 countries to a summit in Seoul on March 26th-27th. It marked the halfway point in Barack Obama’s four-year initiative to secure and reduce the
world’s scattered stocks of bomb-usable plutonium and highly enriched
uranium (HEU). Though attendance was strong, the momentum shows
worrying signs of slowing….. the summit in Seoul called only for
further voluntary reductions by the end of 2013. That is a weak
commitment: the International Panel on Fissile Material estimates
world stocks of HEU at 1,300 tonnes, plus 450 tonnes of separated
plutonium. Although most of this is held by America and Russia (which
counts as safe), the rest is scattered throughout more than 30
countries, some of it—according to Matthew Bunn of Harvard’s Kennedy
School—overseen only by night watchmen behind chain-link fences.
Nobody named names at the summit, but a study this year by the
Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative and the Economist
Intelligence Unit (our sister company) said China, India and Japan
scored poorly on security, and Uzbekistan and Vietnam did worst.

Vulnerabilities to terrorism remain. The Fukushima accident made it
dramatically clear that nuclear power stations, if they can be knocked
out by natural disasters, can also be hit by man-made assault.

The main hurdle to progress is sovereignty. Pakistan rejects almost
any outside interference with its nuclear stockpiles, which are
increasing (and, in outsiders’ view, poorly guarded). Other countries
resent being told what to do. In Seoul America and Russia did little
more than repeat their 2010 commitment to dispose of 68 tonnes of
weapons-grade plutonium. They may need to lead more by example if they
want others to follow. http://www.economist.com/node/21551465

March 30, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety