DISEC Combating Proliferation of the Chemical and Biological Weapons with Emphasis on the Risk of Acquisition by the Non-State Actors

Transcription

1 USMUN 18 DISEC Combating Proliferation of the Chemical and Biological Weapons with Emphasis on the Risk of Acquisition by the Non-State Actors UNDER SECRETARY GENERAL: DEFNE KAYA, 1

2 , In some respects, the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons is like the top of a very tall mountain. From the vantage point of our troubled world today, we can t even see the top of the mountain, and it is tempting and easy to say we can t get there from here. But the risks from continuing to go down the mountain or standing pat are too real to ignore. We must chart a course to higher ground where the mountaintop becomes more visible. George P. Shultz, William J. Perry, Henry A. Kissinger and Sam Nunn Toward a Nuclear-Free World, The Wall Street Journal, 15 January Reprinted from The Wall Street Journal 2008 Dow Jones & Company. All rights reserved. 2

3 Weapon of mass destruction (WMD), weapon with the capacity to inflict death and destruction on such a massive scale and so indiscriminately that its very presence in the hands of a hostile power can be considered a grievous threat. Modern weapons of mass destruction are nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons frequently referred to collectively as NBC weapons. 3

4 NUCLEAR WEAPONS In order to produce nuclear weapons (nuclear explosion weapons) it is necessary to have plutonium or highly enriched (weapons-grade) uranium. These fissionable materials are not freely available on the international market. They can only be produced through complicated separation processes, for example in a nuclear reactor or ultracentrifuge system. So if a country or organisation wishes to develop a nuclear weapons programme, it needs nuclear projects for the production of the required fissionable material. Civilian nuclear projects, like nuclear energy 1 projects, usually do not require plutonium or highly enriched uranium

5 RADIOLOGICAL WEAPONS In addition to nuclear explosive weapons, there is a second type of nuclear weapon: the radiation weapon or radiological weapon. This type of weapon disperses radiation or - by means of conventional explosives - radioactive material over a certain area (so- called 'dirty bomb'). Radiation from such a weapon may kill immediately, but it can also have long-term effects the nature and/or scope of which are comparable to those resulting from a nuclear reactor accident (the Chernobyl effect). Plutonium or highly enriched uranium is not required for 2 radiation weapons; in principle any radioactive material can be used. BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS There are two types of biological weapons. The first one consists of living micro organisms like viruses, bacteria and fungi that can cause disease and death, i.e. pathogens. The best-known examples are the anthrax bacterium and the smallpox virus. The second type are toxins produced by biological organisms, such as the well- known botulin, which is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum (causing botulism in water). Dispersion of pathogens may lead to epidemics. During the Gulf War in , Iraq developed such agents, but did not deploy them. Even small- scale infections, such as caused by the anthrax letters in the United States in , may lead to panic and social disruption

6 CHEMICAL WEAPONS Chemical weapons have a longer history. In World War I, for example, mustard gas was used, a blistering agent that can be lethal or cause chronic lung problems. During and after World War II, nerve gases with a paralysing effect were developed. More recently, in the 1980s, Iraq deployed chemical weapons in its war with Iran and against the Kurdish population in Iraq. In order to develop chemical weapons it is necessary to have expert knowledge, raw material (also called precursors), corrosion- proof production equipment and safe laboratories and storage facilities. Apart from this, however, in general the production of chemical weapons is not very difficult. They have even been described as 'the poor man's nuclear bomb'. Much knowledge and many goods relating to chemical weapons can be used for both civilian and military purposes (dual-use goods and technology). Chemical weapons are also attractive to terrorists. The best-known incident has so far been the nerve gas attack in the Tokyo underground by the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo sect in

7 MEANS OF DELIVERY Countries producing weapons of mass destruction also try to procure and develop the means of delivery for these weapons, such as ballistic missiles, but also cruise missiles or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Means of delivery are necessary to deploy the weapons effectively. The production of these means requires a technological level which has not yet been achieved by all countries of proliferation concern. A cause for concern, however, is the fact that some countries that do have this technology have shown themselves prepared to sell it or to render technical assistance. For example, North Korea supplies missile technology to countries in the Middle East and to Pakistan

8 PROLIFERATION OF WMDs Weapons of mass destruction are back in the news, raising fresh fears of proliferation and use. On April 2 North Korea announced its nuclear reactor would restart. Two weeks earlier the Syrian government and rebel forces accused each other of discharging a deadly chemical near the city of Aleppo, although what exactly happened remains murky. The threat from nuclear, chemical and biological weapons hangs over the planet. Six conventions, two treaties, one protocol, one regime, one arrangement, one code, one initiative and ten regional or zone treaties have been instituted since 1925 to control these instruments of mass murder. Most of the accords require only passive agreement and are trumped by influence-peddling, profit-seeking and ideology-spreading considerations. As a result the danger of nuclear, chemical and biological agents passing to non-state actors is on the rise, too. Countries have spurred proliferation of every WMD category since the 1950s.. Disseminating the weapons, relevant technologies and dual-use materials remains a sure fire way for not only rogue states and terrorist organizations but even superpowers to sway other nations, make quick profits or destabilize foes. Not surprisingly, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research concluded: The non-proliferation treaties lack effective mechanisms to enforce compliance. The less formal export control regimes suffer from the same lack and have limited membership. 8

9 Mustard gas was used extensively during World War I. Negative public reaction led to the Geneva Protocol of Yet Italy in 1936, Japan from 1937 to 1945, Egypt from 1963 to 1967 and Iraq in the 1980s all deployed chemicals against military and civilian targets. Owing to the transfer of materials and technologies, 23 countries stockpile or have chemical WMD capability: China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, United States and Vietnam. Syria, for example, began receiving material and technological assistance from Egypt in the early 1970s and from Iraq in the 1980s to establish its facilities and arm SCUD missiles with chemical warheads. Pakistan served as another source of dual- use technologies and raw materials for the Assad regime. Iran too added to Damascus stockpiles. Nuclear WMD began as an offensive tool dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in The horrific results meant that no rational, civilized state could use them again. Those weapons shifted toward defensive deterrent and emblems of power. So, other nations followed the path laid out by the US. The Soviet Union proliferated technology and hardware widely. China supplied Pakistan with highly enriched uranium for a bomb in Presently nine countries possess nuclear 9

10 warheads: Britain, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the US. The number of nations tempted by nuclear WMD is growing. Iran s nuclear program, having drawn upon Chinese, North Korean and Pakistani expertise, has fissile material for at least five warheads. China has benefited by receiving several billion dollars in revenue, securing access to crude oil, and strengthening its foreign footprint. Iran could even buy a nuclear weapon off the shelf from China or North Korea the next stage in proliferation. So a broader nuclear acquisitions cascade is building as Sunni Arab nations like Saudi Arabia seek to neutralize both their Shiite neighbor s might and Israel s WMD program

11 COUNTRIES OF CONCERN As has been mentioned, despite various relevant treaties there are still countries that seek to possess weapons of mass destruction. These countries of concern usually seem to be motivated by a perceived imbalance of power in their region, especially where countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South and Southeast Asia are concerned. For example, at certain points in time, the interrelations between Israel, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Iraq and Iran spurred all these countries to engage in the development of weapons of mass destruction. Not all countries in the aforementioned regions are party to the present non-proliferation treaties. The following states are the principal countries of concern. Syria Iran India Pakistan North Korea 11

12 INTERNATIONAL TREATIES The Geneva Protocol (1925) The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT,1968) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC,1972) The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC,1993) The Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC, 26 November 2002) 12

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