PREVENTING NUCLEAR SMUGGLING
Voice of America
July 28 2008
In the post-Cold War era, the global black market for nuclear
technology has proliferated at alarming rates, and the international
community is taking action. According to the International Atomic
Energy Agency, there were more than one thousand confirmed cases of
illicit nuclear trafficking or incidents of such materials outside
legitimate control between 1993 and 2006.
Armenia has become the latest country to help fight nuclear
proliferation. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian finalized an anti-nuclear
smuggling agreement in Washington on July 14. The plan — outlined in
twenty-eight steps — presents a detailed approach for the Armenian
government to prevent, detect and respond to the illegal trading
of nuclear materials. Ten of the twenty-eight steps involve ongoing
efforts that need completion, while the remaining eighteen represent
new initiatives.
This marks the fifth joint action plan carried out by the Nuclear
Smuggling Outreach Initiative, the NSOI. The NSOI is a U.S. program
that assists countries with a high smuggling threat to counter
underground nuclear trafficking. It has previously partnered with
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and the Kyrgyz Republic. And it seeks
to conduct similar bilateral agreements with twenty additional at-risk
countries. More information on the NSOI is available at nsoi-state.net.
Detecting the smuggling of nuclear materials is a complicated
task. According to a 2002 study by Harvard University, for example,
about four kilograms of plutonium – roughly the size of a soda can
– can potentially be enough material for a bomb. With millions of
trucks, trains, ships, and planes crossing international borders
daily, discovering pirated nuclear materials requires extensive and
cooperative efforts. Due to the vast scope of nuclear proliferation,
the NSOI is just one of many programs launched by the U.S. and other
countries to combat the problem.
In 2003, authorities in Georgia — Armenia’s neighbor to the north
— arrested an individual attempting to smuggle six ounces of highly
enriched uranium into Armenia. The new anti-nuclear smuggling agreement
will help the U.S. and Armenia prevent nuclear materials from falling
in the hands of those who would use them for harm.