23 October 2003
Energy Conference Reviews History of Nuclear Controls
Need to continue safeguards seen
By Jay Richter
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Experts in nuclear science, weapons, and nonproliferation gathered in Washington, D.C., October 22 to review and discuss the current state of nuclear power as well as its implications for the future.
The Atoms for Peace Plus Fifty Conference -- co-sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and Museum -- also honored the legacy and vision of President Eisenhower, who delivered his "Atoms for Peace" speech at the United Nations in 1953.
The conference agenda pointed out that "the critical issues of nuclear power for civilian energy, nonproliferation, and science identified by President Eisenhower a half-century ago remain highly salient today."
The importance of Eisenhower's 1953 speech to the U.N. General Assembly was a recurring theme. Lawrence Scheinman of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute for International Studies stated that "Atoms for Peace became a normative framework" for dealing with the monumental impact of nuclear energy -- a massive source of power that had accrued to several nations for military and civilian use.
In addition, the establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which provided a format to channel monitoring, verification, and so forth "could not have happened" without Eisenhower's speech, Scheinman said. He also shared his belief that the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) would not have come about were it not for the Atoms for Peace program.
Scheinman described the program as "conceptually strong and visionary," but noted that, unfortunately, the implementation mechanisms did not meet the test of time. Some countries "raced to sell" the new technology, making it impossible for the IAEA to shape the international transfers, he said.
As it turned out, he said, many countries -- including the United States, U.K., France, and Germany -- bypassed the IAEA by entering into bilateral agreements with other nations -- and thousands of scientists and engineers from around the world trained in fields such as nuclear energy and chemistry, wherever the expertise was available to them. Ultimately, the education and training that Atoms for Peace hoped would lead to peaceful energy uses, led instead to nuclear proliferation, he said.
Former Ambassador Ronald Lehman, director of the Center for Global Security Research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, speaking on the "Future of International Fissile Material Controls" told the audience that the eventual outcome would be subject to a "domino effect." The effectiveness of the controls would "depend upon the future of international order," he said, which in turn would depend upon the future actions of "nations and non-state actors."
Unfortunately, he added, the NPT Regime has been unable to deal effectively with routine controls as well as the use and abuse in what he termed the more serious "break-out scenarios." In 1953, he said, Eisenhower predicted the spread of nuclear power, but nobody could have foreseen the magnitude.
As of now, Lehman added, a total of 75 countries either have, used to have, or will soon have nuclear reactors -- whereas in 1953 the total U.N. membership amounted to 60 countries.
Turning to the subject of possible steps that could be taken to internationalize nuclear material, Lehman said the questions are many and difficult -- where would it be stored, how would it be regulated, who would manage it, would an international organization be up to the task, and, would it replace or supplement the NPT?
A portion of the discussion also touched on successes to date, including agreements that have been implemented with Russia regarding the dismantling and storage of nuclear warheads. The program, described by Philip Sewell, senior vice president of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation (USEC Inc.) has helped train skilled Russian scientists and engineers so they could switch from weapons development to civilian work.
Sewell also said that based on growing demand for civilian nuclear applications, he expects the number of nuclear plants in operation in the world to increase by the middle of the century. Nuclear power is here to stay he added and we "must find a way to use it and safeguard it."
Paul Longsworth of the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)provided the audience with an overview of that agency's responsibilities. The NNSA, he said, oversees the transfer of nuclear materials from military to peaceful uses, works to safeguard nuclear materials, improves security at facilities where they are kept, and is involved in the reduction and monitoring of stockpiles of fissile material.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2003&m=October&x=20031023181850rethcirj0.3268549&t=usinfo/wf-latest.html
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