10531. Fulfilling the Prague Promise: A Framework for Nuclear Security
- Author:
- Julia C. Morse
- Publication Date:
- 05-2010
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Public and International Affairs (JPIA)
- Institution:
- School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), Princeton University
- Abstract:
- The lack of an international framework that stipulates specific nuclear security standards poses a significant threat to international security. Terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda have expressed their desire to acquire and use nuclear weapons. Such actors could gain access to the necessary fissile material to produce a bomb at military or civilian nuclear sites throughout the world. Significant quantities of nuclear material are stored and processed under varying degrees of security, making them vulnerable to theft. When states choose to implement weak nuclear security standards, whether because of a low threat appraisal or a lack of capacity, this vulnerable nuclear material poses a global threat.