Preventing Black Market Trade in Nuclear Technology

Description

Every nuclear weapons program for decades has relied extensively on illicit imports of nuclear-related technologies. This book offers the most detailed public account of how states procure what they need to build nuclear weapons, what is currently being done to stop them, and how global efforts to prevent such trade could be strengthened. While illicit nuclear trade can never be stopped completely, effective steps to block illicit purchases of nuclear technology have sometimes succeeded in slowing nuclear weapons programs and increasing their costs, giving diplomacy more chance to work. Hence, this book argues, preventing illicit transfers wherever possible is a key element of an effective global non-proliferation strategy.

Matthew Bunn is a Professor of Practice at the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Massachusetts. His research interests include nuclear theft and terrorism; nuclear proliferation and measures to control it; the future of nuclear energy and its fuel cycle; and innovation in energy technologies. Before coming to Harvard, Bunn served as an adviser to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as a study director at the National Academy of Sciences, and as editor of Arms Control Today. He is the author or co-author of more than twenty books or major technical reports (most recently Insider Threats (2016)), and over a hundred articles in publications ranging from Science to The Washington Post. Martin B. Malin is the Executive Director of the Project on Managing the Atom at the Belfer Center, for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. His research focuses on arms control and nonproliferation in the Middle East, US nonproliferation and counter-proliferation strategies, and the security consequences of the growth and spread of nuclear energy. His recent work includes a review of strategies for preventing illicit trade in nuclear-related technology, an examination of Israeli leaders' perception of the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, and an analysis of the regional conditions conducive to the creation of a WMD-free zone in the Middle East. Prior to coming to the Kennedy School, Malin taught courses on international relations, American foreign policy, and Middle East politics at Columbia University, Barnard College, New York and Rutgers University, New Jersey. He also served as Director of the Program on Science and Global Security at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. William C. Potter is Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar Professor of Nonproliferation Studies and Founding Director of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He is the author or editor of over twenty books, including two volumes on Forecasting Nuclear Proliferation in the 21st Century (2010), The Global Politics of Combating Nuclear Terrorism (2010), and Nuclear Politics and the Non-Aligned Movement (2012). Dr Potter has served on numerous committees of the US National Academy of Sciences and for five years he was a member of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. He has been an advisor to the delegation of Kyrgyzstan at every NPT Review Conference and Preparatory Committee meeting since 1995. Leonard S. Spector is Executive Director of the Washington, DC office of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies' James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. In his many years as a specialist on nuclear affairs, he has served as Assistant Deputy Administrator for Arms Control and Nonproliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration, founding director of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Chief Counsel of the Senate Energy and Nonproliferation Subcommittee, and Special Counsel at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Mr Spector is the author or co-author of eight books and numerous articles on nonproliferation and comments frequently on this subject in the media.

'A compelling analysis of the failures of policy, intelligence, law enforcement and private sector governance in the past, and the continuing challenges facing the control of illicit nuclear technology transfers. This book is a sharply focused and intensely practical contribution to solving one of the world's most dangerous problems, and policymakers will ignore it at their peril.' Gareth Evans, Former Australian Foreign Minister, Co-chair of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament and co-author of Nuclear Weapons: The State of Play 'Avoiding nuclear apocalypse is humanity's top priority. [Here is] a book by leading experts in the field on what needs to be done to combat the ominous danger of illicit trafficking in nuclear technology. A must read for anyone interested in how to shore up our precarious global security system.' Mohamed ElBaradei, Former Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency 'A secret nuclear technology smuggling network lurks in the shadows behind virtually every recent nuclear weapons acquisition program. The expert authors of this volume both shine a bright light on these illicit networks, exposing the states and companies involved, and present creative ideas on how to reduce the risks of future nuclear proliferation. This book should guide new international efforts to shut down these nuclear black markets.' Scott D. Sagan, Caroline S. G. Munro Professor of Political Science, Stanford University 'The world needs bold steps to surmount the nuclear dangers that we confront. This book is essential reading for its role in outlining the steps needed for a crucial part of that effort - controlling the spread of the technologies needed to build nuclear weapons to countries seeking nuclear arsenals. Top experts look at the dangers that lie ahead and recommend new tools to counter them. This book is must reading for policymakers striving for a safer world.' Sam Nunn, Former Senator, co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative 'The future of global nuclear nonproliferation efforts will depend heavily on the high-stakes competition between increasingly resourceful nuclear black marketers and governments determined to thwart them. This volume brings together highly knowledgeable experts to shed light on the shadowy world of illicit nuclear procurement and to propose a promising strategy for impeding it. It is the most comprehensive treatment of the subject publicly available and an indispensable resource to both government policymakers and outsiders interested in avoiding a world of many nuclear-armed states.' Robert Einhorn, The Brookings Institution 'This book is a sophisticated and urgent call for global action to prevent the next AQ Khan and avoid nuclear Armageddon. By distilling the lessons of the recent past, these world-class experts provide the blueprint for a safer, saner future. Essential reading for policy makers and the public.' Douglas Frantz, Deputy Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development