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DISS429: Environment and International Relations Due March 30, 2012

Seoul Nuclear Security Summit Meeting 2012

Nowadays, the world is becoming more and more integrated into one as the countries are becoming interdependent due 1to the increasingly global relationships of the economy, culture and the people. As globalization brings about further interconnectedness between the countries where a particular agenda concerns not only the state(s) in question but also the rest of the world in one way or another, collective efforts of the individual countries are becoming essential in solving many of the pressing international problems. In this context, the incident of the 9/11 not only drew the attention of the self-seeking countries to the detrimental dangers of nuclear terror but also stressed the importance and necessity of a multilateral response in pursuing a common objective. Presently it is known that there are more than 2,000 tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium in dozens of countries worldwide for both peaceful and military uses. Moreover, there have been at least 18 reported cases of theft or loss of these dangerous materials in the midst of AlQaedas want to attain them. Therefore, as can be seen from 9/11, we can conclude that the issue of nuclear security is not an issue limited to several countries. To the contrary, it is an issue that could make any random country the next potential victim and at the same time make the whole world feel its effects indirectly. Thus, in order to tackle the issue of nuclear security, the international society took a clear, visible step by launching the Nuclear Security Summit Meeting where the participating countries will be able to take responsibility and create a multilateral response towards the problem at hand. The ever first summit level meeting to be held on nuclear security being the Washington D.C Nuclear Security Summit Meeting of 2010. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 2nuclear security is defined as the prevention and detection of, and response to, theft, sabotage, unauthorized access, illegal transfer or other malicious acts involving nuclear or other radioactive substances or their associated facilities. In the 2010 Washington Summit, the participating countries were able to share such threats and address the problem by generating the Washington Communiqu and a Work Plan. Stimulated by the substantive progress since the Washington Summit, total of 58 leaders with 7 new participants participated in the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit where using the basis of the Washington Communiqu and Work Plan, the leaders sought to further advance the nuclear security objectives. 3 The 2010 Washington Communiqu identifies 11 areas of priority and importance in the nuclear security and are as follows: (1) the global nuclear security architecture, (2) the role of the IAEA, (3) nuclear materials, (4) radioactive sources, (5) nuclear security and safety, (6) transportation security, (7) combating illicit trafficking, (8) nuclear forensics, (9) nuclear security culture, (10) information security, and (11) international cooperation. First of all, the participating leaders recognized the importance of multilateral instruments and thus provided important timelines for advancing nuclear security objectives, which is considered as one of the significant points worthy of noting from the 2012 Seoul Communiqu. For example, the leaders agreed to bring the 2005 amended Convention on then Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CCPNM) into effect by 2014 and welcomed an international conference on nuclear security activities that will be held in 2013 organized by the IAEA. Second area the leaders stressed was the role of the IAEA in strengthening the international security framework. Thirdly, considering the fact that only a minimal number of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and separated plutonium has been removed , the leaders encouraged the states to consider safely eliminating and disposing the HEU that is no longer in use. Plus, they encouraged each individual state to voluntarily minimize the
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization http://www-ns.iaea.org/standards/concepts-terms.asp?s=11&l=90#top http://www.the nuclearsecuritysummit.org

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use of the HEU. Fourthly, as radioactive sources are widely used in industrial, medical, agricultural and research applications and at the same time highly vulnerable to malicious acts, the states encouraged the building of national measure and international cooperation to manage them. Fifthly, the area on nuclear safety has been increasingly highlighted after the Fukushima accident in the war against nuclear terrorism. Therefore, this area emphasizes the need to strengthen the physical protection of nuclear facilities and enhance emergency response capabilities in the case of radiological accidents. Sixth area refers to the necessity of enhancing the security during domestic and international transportations of nuclear and radioactive sources perhaps by establishing a system to manage and track down the materials. Seventhly, the leaders acknowledged the need prevent the illicit trafficking of the nuclear materials. The number eight area mentioned the building of nuclear forensics capacity mainly to identify the source of illicit trafficked nuclear materials. Ninth is the need to strengthen the nuclear security culture through the participation of industry, academia, media, NGOs and other civil actors. The tenth area discusses the protection of nuclear security related information and enhancement of cyber security at nuclear facilities. The last but not the least is the active promotion of international cooperation. Many assert that the 2012 Seoul Communiqu (as briefly summarized above) has expanded the horizon on the discussion of nuclear security in several ways. Firstly, the Seoul Communiqu provided 4important timelines for advancing nuclear security objectives such as the target year (end of 2013) for states to announce voluntary actions on minimizing the use of HEU and the goal year (2014) for bringing the amended CPPNM into effect. These specific timelines are crucial in encouraging the states to take voluntary actions in the near future to attain the objective of global security. Secondly, the Communiqu was highly successful in addressing not only the existing issue of nuclear security but also that of nuclear safety. Although nuclear safety hadnt been dealt with extensively in the Washington Summit, the need for discussion has been inevitable after the occurrence of the Fukushima accident. Thirdly, various states had been able to agree on cooperative projects. For example, Korea, the U.S., France, and Belgium announced a joint statement affirming that their will to contribute to international efforts to enhance nuclear security through a joint project for minimizing HEU by converting HEU fuel used in high performance research reactors to lowenriched uranium fuel. Meanwhile, Korea, Vietnam, and the IAEA agreed that they will consider introducing the Radiation Source Location Tracking (RADLOT) system in Southeast Asian countries in order to reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism. On the other hand, there are also some criticisms that point out the passive actions of the major nuclear powers such as the U.S and Russia. Furthermore, the absence of some of the problematic nuclear nations such as North Korea and Iran also seem to put a restraint and perhaps a stop to global nuclear security. Lastly, the lack of enforcement methods of the agendas discussed in the Seoul NSS meeting is pointed out as one of the biggest weakness of these summit meetings. However I believe that although the proposed and documented communiqu is non-binding, when there is a collective will to solve and attain a common goal the soft law system might work out even better than hard law. Although the discussed objectives cant be forced onto the states to follow, it is important to realize that 5we have the opportunity, as partners, to ensure that our progress is not a fleeting moment, but part of a serious and sustained effort. As the American president Barack Obama explained.

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http://www.the nuclearsecuritysummit.org Remarks by the President at the Opening Plenary Session of the Nuclear Security Summit, Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C., The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, April 13,2010