An increasing number of colleges and universities offer courses, and in a few cases,programs, on nuclear proliferation and/or in international nuclear safeguards. Some seekonly to provide an introduction to the topic, but are not striving to develop expertise thatwould be the foundation for a career in the field. Others seek to provide students thefoundation for stepping directly into a career in the U.S. or another national government, aninternational organization, or a similar career were real expertise is necessary. Expertise innuclear nonproliferation and international safeguards requires mastering the complex oflegal, technical, and policy/political factors involved. The educational task is to ensure thateach student, from whatever academic discipline, is educated on the full breadth of thesefactors to an adequate depth. Too frequently the subject is taught in universities as anessentially static subject: NPT safeguards (INFCIRC/153) as they are now defined followingthe 93+2 reforms and the creation of the Additional Protocol (INFCIRC/540). Thisapproach has important shortcomings. It too often leaves the student uncertain as to therole of the IAEA Statute, and how safeguards in Pakistan, Israel, and until recently, India,differ from the model presented. It also does not address how Iraq managed to evadedetection of its multiple weapons-related programs until after the 1991 Gulf War andinspections pursuant to Security Council Resolution 687. For example, students may thinkthat the Nuclear Suppliers Group dual-use list was here all along. Similarly, this approachmay not provide an interdisciplinary understanding of how key concepts in the legal,technical, and policy/political arenas developed over time in relation to each other. It isimportant for students to learn how political factors drove or inhibited the evolution oflegal and technical capabilities, and how new technical methods strengthened legal andpolicy objectives. This paper will describe an approach to ensure that the student developsa full and historically grounded understanding of the nuclear nonproliferation system andthe role of safeguards in it, and discuss why that is vital for the next generation to succeed inour footsteps.
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