Proceedings


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News Releases


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Nuclear safeguards and the International Atomic Energy Agency : report.


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From the dawn of the nuclear age, nuclear power has been recognized as a 'dual-use' technology. The same nuclear reactions that give bombs the destructive force of many thousands of tons of high explosive can, when harnessed in a controlled fashion, produce energy for peaceful purposes. The challenge for the international nuclear nonproliferation regime-the collection of policies, treaties, and institutions intended to stem the spread of nuclear weapons-is to prevent nuclear proliferation while at the same time permitting nuclear energy's peaceful applications to be realized. One of the key institutions involved in meeting these two objectives is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an international organization created in 1957 as a direct outgrowth of president Eisenhower's 'Atoms for Peace' program. The IAEA Statute, which creates the legal framework for the agency, charges it to 'accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health, and prosperity throughout the world.' At the same time, it gives the agency the authority to enter into so-called safeguards agreements with individual nations or groups of nations to ensure that nuclear materials, equipment, or facilities are not used to produce nuclear weapons. The IAEA's mission and its safeguards responsibilities were extended with the enactment in 1970 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (also known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT). The Treaty requires non-nuclear-weapon states that are parties to the accord to enter into safeguards agreements with the IAEA covering all nuclear materials on their territory (e.g., uranium and plutonium, whether in forms directly usable for weapons or forms that require additional processing before becoming usable in weapons).










Economics and Politics of Energy


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The 1995 conference was organized around two closely related themes and focused on the two pivotal aspects of energy, that is, economics and politics, both of which are decisive in providing long-term national and international strategies for the next century. Originally the program was going to include the participants from the new oil powers in Central Asia and Caucasus, newly independent from the former U.S.S.R. However, probably both economics and politics prevented their participation. Global energy projections, technological changes such as nuclear power and the fuel geopolitics of the coming century will be the basis for political and strategic planning. Based on the scenarios of likely global economic and population growth and of new energy technologies, what are foreseeable scenarios for the geopolitics of energy a half century ahead? What fresh worldwide systems should we start now? The political problems with profound economic impact could include, for example, the significance of the continuing worldwide growth of nuclear power, with such issues as the use of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) and Plutonium obtained from the dismantling of U.S. and former U.S.S.R. nuclear weapons; the urgency of nonproliferation; the disposal of civilian and military nuclear waste; and, nuclear power alternatives. In spite of U.S. reluctance, the increasing role of nuclear power is becoming apparent in several countries, and its potential has become an important political factor today.




Nuclear Safeguards, Security and Nonproliferation


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With an increase of global security concerns over potential terrorist acts, the threat of WMDs, and increasing political issues with nations seeking nuclear capability, the need to track, detect, and safeguard nuclear material globally has never been greater. Nuclear Safeguards, Security and Nonproliferation is a comprehensive reference that covers cutting-edge technologies used to trace, track, and safeguard nuclear material. It is a contributed volume with sections contributed by scientists from leading institutions such as Los Alamos National Labs, Sandia National Labs, Pacific Northwest Nuclear Labs, and Texas A&M University, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies. The book is divided into 3 sections and includes 30 chapters on such topics as - the security of nuclear facilities and material, the illicit trafficking of nuclear materials, improvised nuclear devices, how to prevent nuclear terrorism. International case studies of security at nuclear facilities and illegal nuclear trade activities provide specific examples of the complex issues surrounding the technology and policy for nuclear material protection, control and accountability. Specific cases include analysis of the timely issues in the nuclear programs of countries such as North Korea, Iran, and Kazakstan among others. Nuclear Security is a must-have volume for the dozens of private and public organizations involved in driving Homeland Security, domestic, and international policy issues relating to nuclear material security, non-proliferation, and nuclear transparency. - Written by some of the world's top scientists including members of the Nuclear Division of Los Alamos National Labs (U.S.) - A timely discussion of current international nuclear security issues includes case studies on Iraq, Iran and North Korea - Book takes a global perspective on nuclear security and non-proliferation detailing the little-known real-world technologies used to secure, detect and track nuclear material