Nuclear terrorismNuclear terrorism is a preventable catastrophe
Graham Allison, a nuclear proliferation expert, warns of the seriousness of the threat of nuclear terrorism and the ease with which rogue states or terrorists groups can obtain weapons or fissile material and the knowledge essential to developing production capability; “The number of rogue states and terrorist groups seeking to acquire nuclear weapons is increasing. There are a number of states willing to sell it to anyone, and a larger number of sites where enriched weapons grade plutonium and uranium can be found in conditions where they might be vulnerable to theft due to lack of security,” he says
The ultimate result of uncontrolled nuclear proliferation is mass destruction, said an eminent Harvard scholar in a lecture at the Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (Kustar).
Dr. Graham Allison, director of Harvard University’s Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, was addressing participants during the first of a series of lectures on science, technology and society launched by Kustar.
Gulf News reports that the university recently added a masters degree in nuclear engineering to its programs and invited Allison to open the lecture series by addressing the looming question of the dangers of nuclear catastrophe, focusing on the threat posed by nuclear programmes.
Tod Laursen, Kustar president, said: “In line with our vision to be a world class institution, we have started these events to educate and inform the university community and the public on various subjects, with particular emphasis on issues involving the interrelation of technology with society and the world around us.”
Allison, in his lecture, warned of the seriousness of the threat of nuclear terrorism and the ease with which rogue states or terrorists groups can obtain weapons or fissile material and the knowledge essential to developing production capability.
“The number of rogue states and terrorist groups seeking to acquire nuclear weapons is increasing. There are a number of states willing to sell it to anyone, and a larger number of sites where enriched weapons grade plutonium and uranium can be found in conditions where they might be vulnerable to theft due to lack of security,” Allison said.
A small 100 pound cake of enriched uranium can be made into a bomb that fits in an SUV-sized vehicle and generates a 10-kiloton explosion. If parked in Times Square on a workday, it could instantly kill 500,000 people, as everything from ground zero out to a third of a mile would disappear instantly, consumed in a ball of fire that reaches 540,000 degrees Fahrenheit, Allison said.
He proposed a three-step strategy to prevent nuclear terrorism under a “Doctrine of Three Nos.”
First, “No Loose Nukes,” which means countries with stockpiles of nuclear weapons or materials should increase security of these sites so as to make unauthorised access impossible.
Second, “No New Nascent Nukes” — that is, no new national production of highly enriched uranium or plutonium for weapons purposes.
Third, “No New Nuclear Weapon States,” requiring international cooperation to prevent new states in developing nuclear capabilities.
Any path to prevent nuclear terrorist attacks must begin with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the role that it plays in inspecting members and non-member states, Allison said.
Since its inception, 184 nations have renounced nuclear weapons, including more than 40 that have the technical ability to build nuclear arsenals. Four decades since the NPT was signed, there are only nine nuclear states.
Moreover, for more than sixty years, no nuclear weapon has been used in an attack.
“I think the United States cannot do it alone and can’t bully everybody else to do it. Fortunately the great powers’ interests converge here. We must continue to support the institutions that we now have and to build additional institutions in order to make the process work,” Dr Allison concluded.