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Ryan King

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1103 – H03

9/26/2019

Topic Proposal: Getting hands dirty with earth’s deadliest weapons

Introduction/Overview

I aim to focus my research on nuclear terrorism, dirty bombs, and the so-called “rogue

states” projected to use them. More specifically, I will establish an understanding of how

superweapons fall into the wrong hands and why nuclear terrorism could quickly become the

world’s most pressing issue.

During my research, I’ll try not to focus on any one specific area of interest

(geographically speaking). I firmly believe that doing so would diminish the severity and reach

of this issue and would only serve to present it as just another regional conflict without serious

worldwide repercussions. For example: it’s hard to avoid getting sucked into an endless

discussion involving the Islamic State (IS). As Carole N. House of Military Review writes, “IS

cares little about international taboos against chemical or nuclear weapons use because it is not

interested in participating in the international nation-state system”. It is for this very reason that

they are, and should usually be, at the forefront of any nuclear terrorism discussion. The Islamic

state is in a unique position as they have no real borders to defend and no tangible land to “lose”.

However, I want to stress – throughout my research – that the IS isn’t the only

group/organization capable of wanton ideal-fueled nuclear disaster.

Lexi Krock and Rebecca Deusser, in a chronological dirty bomb historical analysis for

PBS’s NOVA science series, tell of non-IS instances of nuclear terror. Chechen separatists
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planted a bomb in Moscow, enough cesium to make a powerful weapon is stolen from a North

Carolina hospital, a heat-emanating Chernobyl-meltdown-equivalent radioactive device is found

on a campsite in Lja, Georgia. These events, unlike those concerning the Islamic State, have all

occurred. They aren’t just a projected threat; the dirty bombs were found, and individual suspects

were never identified. I’d like my research to be more heavily focused on real occurrences, and

what steps might be taken to combat them in the future.

Major contributions, and publications I’ll be often looking into, will be both government

reports and scientific journals. Academic papers – especially those focused on USA/UN

terrorism policy – could help in outlining some of the details surrounding the issue. Helpful

sources include NTI (a publication focused on nuclear issues), Wall Street Journal, New York

Times, and several international academic journal studies on organizational behavior and the

psychological affects of nuclear terrorism as a threat.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

How dire is the issue of nuclear terrorism, and what preemptive measures can be taken to

combat the problem in the future?

My Interest in this Topic

Dealing with superweapons in the hands of terrorist organizations has always challenged

me. The idea of how to correctly handle a terrorist threat of this magnitude reminds me of the

tenseness of a hostage case. However, in this instance, there are so many more hostages than the

tourists trapped in a hotel or patrons barred exit from their painfully unluckily chosen bank. The

threat is almost fictional – nearly supervillain – but it’s altogether a possibility in the world

today.

I became interested in this topic after researching very generally for information on
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nuclear weapons. There was a quote I found striking enough and decided to narrow my topic to

specifically nuclear terrorism. The quote in question, by President Bush, read: “The gravest

danger to freedom lies at the crossroads of radicalism and technology”. The idea of this

metaphorical crossroads got me hooked, and I found it interesting enough to delve deeper.

I already knew a little about certain “dirty bomb” terrorism attempts. For example, I was

aware of the Chechen separatist bomb threat in Moscow. I also had some background knowledge

about potential nuclear disaster here in North Carolina. During the cold war, some live nukes

were accidently dropped in Goldsboro. There was no detonation, but there is still a crater where

the shell made impact.

In general, I’m curious to uncover more information about nuclear terror. The knowledge

almost seems hidden (though I know it’s not quite classified). Nonetheless, you don’t hear much

talk about it for how truly important and life-threatening it so obviously is.

Next Steps
In the overview, I mentioned some publications to check for information. To elaborate, I

would first go to Wikipedia to get an overview of the topic. From there, I would check a variety

of sources – perhaps linked on the wiki – that had to do with specific nuclear terrorist threats.

Drawing inspiration from those events, I would then consult academic journals to help piece

together a feasible international plan for how to deal with some of the circumstances of those

nuclear threats in the future. NTI appears to be a rich source for documented terrorist plots of this

kind. Though the publication is obviously biased in how they describe potential nuclear disaster

to persuade the united nations to act, their coverage of my research topic is unparalleled. To

combat this entirely possible stretching of truth, I’ll be cross-referencing events outlined by NTI

with articles from more objective sources like Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Both
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news publications have been around long enough to document even the older terrorist threats.

Their value in both age and lack of a “stake” in the topic when compared to NTI are the chief

reasons for my decision to use them.