The attacks of september 11, 2001 have provided a wakeup call for facing the threat of nuclear terrorism. Yet in confronting the prospect of nuclear terrorism and there is no more dire threat facing america todaythis logic is flawed. Levi points out the many obstacles that such a terrorist scheme may encounter, which in turn leads to a host of possible ways that any terrorist plan could be foiled. Nuclear powers were deterred from attacking each other by the fear of retaliation. In fact, there really was a king of bombs, aka tsar bomba the largest nuclear weapon ever constructed or detonated. Designing strategies for preventing nuclear and radiological terrorism thus requires finding different admixtures of the three broad approaches, each appropriate to different weapons problems. Nuclear terrorism assessing the threat, developing a response ix terrorist acquisition of nuclear weapons. The chances of a successful nuclear terrorist attack in the decade that began in 2015. Nuclear terrorism fact sheet april 2010 weapons worth of heu is stored. It might have added that one book about nuclear terrorism could ruin their whole summer vacation. Yet in confronting the prospect of nuclear terrorismand there is no more dire threat facing america todaythis logic is. Levi surveys the issue of nuclear terrorism and explores the decisions a terrorist leader might take in pursuing a nuclear plot. There is a consensus among international leaders that the threat of nuclear terrorism is real, not a hollywood confection. Some definitions of nuclear terrorism include the sabotage of a nuclear facility andor the detonation of a radiological device, colloquially termed a dirty bomb, but consensus is lacking.
Deterring state sponsorship of nuclear terrorism council on. Tackling nuclear terrorism in south asia prism national. Understanding the threat of nuclear terrorism by evan braden montgomery over the past several years, the prospect of a terrorist group armed with a nuclear weapon has frequently been cited as a genuine and overriding threat to the security of the united states. President obama, the leaders of 46 other nations, the heads of the. Many countries continue to make efforts to strengthen nuclear security by enhancing systems of nuclear material protection, control.
And since only states are known to possess nuclear weapons, an important question is how to deter them from letting terrorists acquire a. Deterring and dissuading nuclear terrorism 17 with pakistani nuclear scientist abdul qadeer khan having transferred nuclear technology to iran, north korea, and libya, some terrorist organizations may be able to more easily acquire the technology and material to fabricate an improvised nuclear device. There are four main alternatives that prospective nuclear terrorists might pursue. If they were able to obtain highly enriched uranium or plutonium, building a nuclear bomb is within the capabilities of a wellorganised terrorist group. Nuclear proliferation and the potential threat of nuclear.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Pakistan continues to build up its nuclear arsenal including the. Buy nuclear terrorism reprint by allison, graham isbn. But rarely do we allow ourselves to face squarely the deadliest form of terrorism, because it is almost too scary to think abouta terrorist. Even before 911, al qaedas attacks demonstrated an organizational capacity. In legal terms, nuclear terrorism is an offense committed if a person unlawfully and intentionally uses in any way radioactive material with the intent to cause death or serious bodily. The countries of primary concern with respect to the nexus of proliferation and terrorism pakistan, north korea, iran, and russiaare each at an inflection point. The bomb was developed in 1961 on the orders of soviet premier nikita kruschchev, designed by andrei sakharov, and detonated a few months later. The nuclear control institute, since its inception in 1981, has been analyzing the risks of nuclear terrorism and seeking to alert policymakers and the public to the danger. Today, much of the concern over possible nuclear attack comes in the context of rogue states and terrorism.
Back in the mid1980s, a popular bumper sticker reminded drivers that one nuclear bomb could ruin their whole day. Internal dynamics of a terrorist entity acquiring biological and chemical weapons, jean pascal zanders part i. The ultimate preventable catastrophe allison, graham on. This important book makes a big contribution to public understanding and to public policy on nuclear terrorism, which might yetdespite the daunting oddsprevent it from ever happening. A dirty bomb spreading radioactivity is simple and likely. Details of implementation are left to the dhs in concert with state and local authorities. Nuclear terrorism definition of nuclear terrorism by the.
Some definitions of nuclear terrorism include the sabotage of a nuclear facility andor the detonation of a radiological device, colloquially termed a dirty bomb but consensus is lacking. Nuclear power plants are attractive terrorist targets. Deterring state sponsorship of council on foreign relations. Deterring state sponsorship of nuclear terrorism michael. However, the 3 the global nuclear stockpile stands at roughly 19,000 nuclear weaponsthe nucleararmed states account for an estimated 420 of those weapons, while the nuclear weapon states have the rest. The book made the case for two seemingly contradictory propositions. Todays dangers include nuclear arms proliferation, an increasing risk of nuclear terrorism, and the 35000 warheads that remain in superpowernuclear arsenals, many still on hairtrigger alert. To date, most such responses have involved helping governments with the recovery of radioactive sources that. The nuclear terrorism threat the nonproliferation policy. In his new book, deterring nuclear terrorism, robert litwak argues that effective strategies on the state level to prevent nuclear terrorism will. Nuclear explosion this form of nuclear terrorism is the gravest in terms of the number of casualties, the immediate vast destruction and the lethal longterm effects on.
Expert assessments although no serious terrorist attempts to construct an improvised nuclear device ind have yet been uncovered, terrorism experts cite increasing indications of terrorist groups desiring to create and use such devices. While most of these facilities were designed with security in mind, many reactors were not designed to resist the level of terrorist threat that materialized on september 11th. In this vein ferguson and potter have attempted to group terrorist organizationtypes by their. Nuclear terrorism refers to any person or persons who detonate a nuclear weapon in an act of terrorism meaning illegal or immoral use of violence for a political or religious cause. The threat of nuclear terrorism has become a global concern. Nuclear terrorism denotes the use, or threat of the use, of nuclear weapons or radiological weapons in acts of terrorism, including attacks against facilities where radioactive materials are present. This website is a cooperative project undertaken by nations that have endorsed the global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism. The report and papers of the international task force on prevention of nuclear terrorism, ed. If a terrorist group like al qaeda was determined to go nuclear, how might it attempt to do so and what obstacles would it face.
Thus all that the united states and its allies have to do to prevent nuclear terrorism is to prevent terrorists from acquiring a weapon or nuclear material. Nuclear terrorism could take several forms, from an attack on nuclear power plants and reactors to the detonation of a nuclear bomb in an urban area the international community urgently needs to expand its efforts to secure existing stockpiles of nuclear weapons and materials, particularly in russia, pakistan, and india. Key elements of preparing emergency responders for. It is funded and maintained on behalf of partner nations by the government of the united states in its role as cochair of the initiative. There will be no progress in ensuring global nuclear stability without cooperation. The basis of nuclear doctrine during the cold war was deterrence. The international legal framework against chemical, biological. The greatest challenge to global security is the nuclear threat from rogue states, led by north korea and iran. In this essay, martha crewshaw concludes that the difficulties associated with meeting the requirements for a successful strategy of deterrence suggest that governments and the nuclear power industry would be wise to emphasize prevention of the full range of insider, outsider, and combined insideroutsider terrorist threats from nonstate. Preventing a nuclear 911 hinges on foiling terrorist efforts to acquire the capability that would allow them to act on their intention. Under the leadership of russia and the united states, the global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism gicnt was launched in 2006 and has since grown to include 89 partner nations and six official observer organizations, held over 100 multilateral activities, produced seven important foundational guidelines documents and developed a body of best practices that have.
Promoting alternatives to highrisk radiological sources, miles. On nuclear terrorism confronts what many argue is the greatest national security threat we face. Nuclear terrorism denotes the detonation of a yieldproducing nuclear bomb containing fissile material by terrorists. Graham allison states that a nuclear terrorist attack on america in the decade ahead is more likely than not. It has been more than years since the publication of nuclear terrorism.
Policymakers consistently identify nuclear terrorism as one of the greatest threats facing. Global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism gicnt. If so, our current preoccupation on nuclear terrorism as if it was a separate or greater. Preventing nuclear terrorism relacionesinternacionales. Incorporated as a notforprofit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in geneva, switzerland, the forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. Deterring state sponsorship of nuclear terrorism the council on foreign relations cfr is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and. Rossiya, 2329 august 1995, 12, as translated in fbissov95163, 5152. The different forms of nuclear terrorism nuclear terrorism can manifest itself in several different forms. The evolving threat of nuclear terrorism the world has entered an age of mass casualty terrorism, in which certain adversaries seek and have the capability to inflict maximum possible carnage to achieve their ends. Serving on the ncrp scientific committee sc 21 that prepared this commentary were. Less destructive but more likely terrorism dangers come from attacks on nuclear facilities that use or process nuclear material. Deterring nuclear terrorism al qaeda and other terrorist groups are determined, as president obama stated, to buy, build or steal a nuclear weapon and would have no problem with using it. The world economic forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
A leading strategist opens our eyes to the greatest terrorist threat of alland how to prevent it before its too lateamericans in the twentyfirst century are keenly aware of the many forms of terrorism. He is the author or coauthor of over 20 books or major technical reports, and. Nuclear terrorism list of high impact articles ppts. They overcame a 10,000volt security fence, entered without setting off an alarm, broke into the emergency control center, shot a worker, and escaped. In his 2007 book on nuclear terrorism, author michael a. Nuclear terrorism threats and responses future of the. Today, our focus is on nuclear proliferation and the potential threat of nuclear terrorism in asia and the pacific and i am pleased at the opportunity to share with you my perspectives on the challenges we face, and how the iaea is working to strengthen nuclear security and the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
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