10nfl1-Nukes-Cover
NOT ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARE SECURE- IT ONLY TAKES ONE TO
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| NOT ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARE SECURE- IT ONLY TAKES ONE TO ALLOW FORA NUCLEAR ATTACK. Chicago Tribune, April 12, 2010 "Securing lose Nukes An Urgent Danger, a Ticking Clock" http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-04-12/news/ct-edit-nuclear-20100412_1_nuclear- weapons-nuclear-material-nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty The challenge is formidable. Russia has thousands of tactical nuclear weapons, including some small enough to fit in a suitcase. North Korea has nukes it might be willing to sell to the highest bidder. And there is enough enriched uranium and plutonium in the world to make 100,000 nuclear weapons or more. Most of the bombs and fuel are under secure control. But "security for others is appalling" according to a 2008 study by the Nuclear Threat Initiative. At the same time, NTI recently reported that as a result of cooperative international efforts, considerable progress has been made — including 17 countries' elimination of "all of the weapons-usable nuclear material on their soil" The gravest threat comes in South Asia, where both Pakistan and India are expanding their production of weapons-grade material. Pakistanis especially worrisome because its political instability creates a potential for nukes to escape control. But the summit isn't going to address the arms race on the subcontinent, a topic considered too difficult for immediate progress. Nor will it be able to elicit cooperation from Iran or North Korea, which were not invited because they have failed to comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The relatively easier tasks will be hard enough. First is getting participating nuclear states to lockup their nukes and fuel and provide a comprehensive inventory of what they have and where. Second is forging agreement between Russia and the United States to reduce their stockpiles of tactical nukes — which becomes a bit more plausible now that they have shown they can work together on strategic weapons. The success of the summit has to be judged on whether the leaders unite on a commitment to tangible deeds, not mere expressions of good intent. 10NFL1-Nuclear Weapons Page 82 of 199 www.victorybriefs.com Download 1.23 Mb. Share with your friends:
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