Document 6511807

The Epoch Times
Perspectives A7
January 24, 2011
How to Keep the Nuclear Genie in the Bottle
By RICHARD WEITZ
WASHINGTON—The processes associated
with globalization—the spread of sensitive
nuclear technologies throughout the world,
improved means of communication and
transportation, and the worldwide diffusion
of knowledge through the Internet—have
exacerbated nuclear terrorist threats.
Consider the following examples:
Last November two Armenian men pleaded
guilty during a secret trial to smuggling
highly enriched uranium into Georgia—fresh
proof of the continuing dangers of nuclear
materials smuggling in the former Soviet
Union. In March, the pair was arrested in a
sting operation for trying to sell the material
to Islamic militants.
Although a small amount, the uranium
was potentially usable in a nuclear warhead or
dirty bomb. Similar smuggling incidents were
detected in Georgia in 2006 and 2003, suggesting that the former Soviet bloc remains
the soft underbelly of nuclear security while
world focus is on North Korea and Iran.
Another newly revealed nuclear smuggling
incident, this time in the Congo, dates from
2008, when a group of Rwandan rebels in the
east of the country attempted to sell six containers of purported uranium that dated back
to the days of Belgian colonial rule. Uranium
from Rwanda’s Shinkolobwe mine, which
closed in 1960, was sold to the United States
by Belgium in 1943. Americans later used the
uranium to make the atomic bomb that was
dropped on Hiroshima.
Pakistan is another source of nuclear nightmares. The cables published by WikiLeaks
reveal frantic American diplomats failing to
make Pakistan’s nuclear assets more secure.
One prominent cable records how, despite
years of efforts, Washington has proved unable to induce Pakistani officials to fulfill their
legal obligation to return U.S.-supplied highenriched uranium stored at a Pakistani civilian research reactor.
On Dec. 21, 2010, the United States and
the Democratic Republic of Congo signed
an agreement to prevent trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials. The United
States has completed similar pacts with Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and
Ukraine.
nuclear dangers
Whereas in public U.S. officials have offered
reassuring comments about Pakistani nuclear
security, the cables warn that growth of Islamist extremism and Pakistan’s nuclear weapons complex is raising the risk that both phenomena could fuse with Islamist terrorists
The
CHECKPOINT: Georgian soldiers speak with plain-clothed men at a checkpoint of a military
training base outside Tbilisi, on Jan. 11. Georgia has been a focus of nuclear material smuggling
over the last few years. vano shlamov/afp/getty images
detonating a Pakistani nuclear device—perhaps in Times Square, the target of a failed
Pakistani car bomb earlier this year.
A conventional explosion in Times Square
during theater hours could cause horrific casualties. But if such a weapon included radioactive materials smuggled from Pakistan,
the United States would suffer the most devastating act of terrorism in world history. The
resulting losses would be worse than those
from the 9/11 attacks. People would avoid
contaminated areas, those at risk would seek
medical care, and global transportation networks would freeze.
Islamist terrorists have launched several attacks against Pakistan’s nuclear sites in recent
years, including a nuclear missile storage facility at Sargodha, a nuclear air base at Kamra,
and a nuclear-weapons assembly site at Wah.
Leaked cables cite Russian and U.S. concerns
about “insider access” to the country’s sprawling nuclear complex, pointing to the obvious
risk that some of the 130,000 people working
in Pakistan’s nuclear establishment might aid
Islamist terrorists to attack Western targets.
In February 2009, the U.S. ambassador
wrote, “Our major concern is not having an
Islamic militant steal an entire weapon but
rather the chance someone working in GOP
[government of Pakistan] facilities could gradually smuggle enough material out to eventually make a weapon.”
Fortunately, globalization has also provided defenders against nuclear terrorism
with tools to counter it. The U.S. government is erecting a multilayered defense of
self-reinforcing initiatives to counter these
threats based on international coalitions of
governments, some of which are longstanding security competitors.
layers of defense
The first layer involves locking down dangerous nuclear materials; the second stratum
seeks to interdict nuclear materials “on the
move” through various international smuggling networks; the final layer consists in barriers erected at U.S. border posts and other
points of entry.
Prevention involves constraining the
amount of unsecured nuclear material
through various arms control, disarmament,
and threat reduction measures. In addition,
prevention includes physical security measures such as consolidating nuclear materials at a limited number of protected and
monitored sites, something the United States
has done with its own nuclear complex in
recent years.
The second layer of measures focusing
on interdiction encompasses initiatives to
intercept or retrieve nuclear material that
has escaped secure control. In late December, the U.S. Domestic Nuclear Detection
Office delivered its long-awaited "strategic
plan" to Congress for establishing a global
nuclear detection architecture. The idea is to
create a worldwide network of sensors, communications, personnel, and other elements
to detect and report the potential movement
of illicit nuclear and radioactive materials or
weapons.
U.S. Deployment
to Costa Rica
Heightens Tensions
Other assistance seeks to enhance the capabilities of their coast and border guards to
interdict nuclear traffickers. For example, the
By JOHN LINDSAY-POLAND
February 2007 U.S. agreement with Georgia identifies 50 priority areas for joint action The Costa Rican legislature on Dec. 20 apto improve Georgia’s capabilities, especially proved another deployment of dozens of U.S.
those related to law enforcement, to counter ships to its territory for the next six months,
nuclear smuggling.
but denied permission for warships to deploy
The final U.S. line of defense aims to
to the country until a full debate occurs.
fortify U.S. ports of entry as well as other
The decision came at a moment when the
unauthorized border crossings against nu- country’s relationship with neighboring Nicaclear smuggling. For instance, almost all
ragua remains tense. Congress granted percontainer cargo now entering U.S. seaports
mission for the deployment of 46 U.S. Coast
is screened for radioactive materials that can Guard ships, 42 armed helicopters, and up to
be used to make either a nuclear weapon or 4,000 sailors to combat drug trafficking.
more likely a “dirty bomb,” a device that uses
Only four legislators voted against the deconventional explosives to spew radioactive
ployment. Juan Carlos Mendoza, leader of
material over a large area even in the absence
the Citizen Action Party, explained that his
of nuclear detonation.
opposition to the agreement is based on the
These measures are complemented by vari- United States being at war, and that as such,
ous domestic programs to secure U.S. nuclear even Coast Guard ships are under the manmaterial and technologies from misuse. To
date of the military. “Costa Rica signed a patake one example, new regulations now better trolling agreement with civilian authorities
control the sale and storage of radioactive sub- and not with the military part. This could be
stances to U.S. hospitals and universities.
violating the active and permanent neutrality
The threat of nuclear terrorism has even
of our country,” he said.
had a benign impact on international poliAnother deputy, José María Villalta of the
tics. Despite their differences on many in- Broad Front, said there is no evidence that
ternational security issues, Russia and the
the deployments have contributed to reducUnited States collaborate well against nuclear ing drug addiction or to traffickers changing
terrorist threats. In 2006, for example, then
their routes away from Costa Rica.
presidents Vladimir Putin and George Bush
Meanwhile, the day after its approval of
launched a new Global Initiative to Counter the U.S. naval deployment, Costa Rica deNuclear Terrorism.
nounced Nicaragua at the United Nations
Many other countries—including nucle- for the presence of troops along the San Juan
ar-armed China, India, and Pakistan—have River that serves as a border between the two
joined this initiative, which unlike many gen- nations. Its government alleged that Nicaeral nonproliferation initiatives focuses on
ragua had “invaded” and “occupied” Costa
reducing nuclear terrorist dangers by engag- Rica. The same day, Nicaragua protested an
ing a wide range of public and private actors. “incursion” into Nicaragua by Costa Rican
For example, local law enforcement personnel
ships and a plane.
exchange best practices with foreign counterCosta Rican ambassador to the U.N., Eduparts under its rubric. They also work with
ardo Ulibarri, said that his country has no
private corporations to strengthen security
military, and has instead appealed to the OAS
at civilian nuclear plants.
(Organization of American States), but that
Although China and the United States may Nicaragua had rejected the OAS’s jurisdicdisagree over how to respond to the nuclear tion. Nicaragua asserts that its troops dredgactivities of Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea, ing the river are in their own territory, which
they and other governments share an in- extends to the Costa Rican side of the river.
terest in fighting transnational nuclear terThe approval to deploy armed U.S. ships
rorists that might attack any target on the
and helicopters to Costa Rica sends a mesglobe, whether that’s Washington, London, sage that the United States could use the
or Beijing.
threat of force to arbitrate the conflict, probably in Costa Rica’s favor.
Richard Weitz is senior fellow and director of
the Center for Political-Military Analysis, the John Lindsay-Poland is coordinator of the FelHudson Institute, in Washington, D.C. He can
lowship of Reconciliation Task Force on Latin
be reached at [email protected]. With per- America & the Caribbean and is a contributor
mission from YaleGlobal Online. Copyright © to CIP Americas Program. The full version of
2010, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, this article is published on Foreign Policy in
Yale University.
Focus, www.fpif.org.
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In the meantime, the CCP has
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conquering nature. With one act of
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In Chinese history, every benevolent leader viewed loving, nourishing, and educating the people as
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In the 5,000 years of Chinese
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shtml.
ii Red Guards were civilians who were used to lead the
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