Nuclear Nonproliferation Issues Page: 3 of 19
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06-03-05
Nuclear Nonproliferation Issues
SUMMARY
The United States has been a leader of
worldwide efforts to prevent the spread of
nuclear weapons. To this end, the interna-
tional community and many individual states
have agreed to a range of treaties, laws, and
agreements known collectively as the nuclear
nonproliferation regime, aimed at keeping
nations that do not have nuclear weapons from
acquiring them.
The nonproliferation regime has also
been concerned with preventing terrorists
from obtaining nuclear weapons or the mate-
rials to craft them. The attacks on New York
and Washington of September 11, 2001,
added a new level of reality to the threat that
terrorists might acquire a nuclear weapon and
explode it in a populated area.
Other nonproliferation concerns include
a number of regional focal points. North
Korea's claim that it possesses nuclear weap-
ons and is pursuing more has led to a diplo-
matic crisis. In the Middle East, Iran's nu-
clear weapons development remains a threat.
Libya's voluntary revelation of its covert
nuclear weapons program reinforced the fear
that nations may develop weapons without
being discovered. The continuing confronta-
tion between India and Pakistan is made more
dangerous by their possession of nuclear
explosives. There is concern about Chinese
and Russian activities that may encourage
proliferation in the other regions.Disposing of plutonium and highly en-
riched uranium from dismantled Russian
nuclear weapons, while preventing it from
falling into the hands of terrorists or other
proliferators, is another current focus of
nonproliferation activities. In the longer term,
the major question is fulfilling the pledge in
the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) by
the nuclear weapons states, including the
United States, to pursue complete nuclear
disarmament, in the face of skepticism about
the possibility, or even the wisdom, of achiev-
ing that goal.
The terrorist attacks of September 11
added the suddenly more realistic threat of an
even more unimaginable assault with a nu-
clear explosive. While terrorists had not been
ignored in nonproliferation efforts, particu-
larly with regard to Russian nuclear materials,
the major focus before the attacks had been on
preventing nation-states from developing
weapons capabilities. While that task, in the
case of Iran and North Korea, has become
sharply more critical, the terrorist threat has
gained equal urgency and uncertainty.
Numerous U.S. agencies have programs
related to nuclear nonproliferation, but the
major activities are carried out by the Depart-
ments of State, Defense, and Energy. DOE's
program is part of the National Nuclear Secu-
rity Administration, which is responsible for
the management of the U.S. nuclear weapons
program.IB 10091
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Reference the current page of this Report.
Behrens, Carl E. Nuclear Nonproliferation Issues, report, June 3, 2005; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs6624/m1/3/?q=%22defense%20policy%22: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.