Radioactive Sources in Contested Spaces: Assessing the Political and Legal Dimensions of International Response to Radioactive Sources in Areas with Weak or Non-Existent Regulatory Controls

摘要

Today, there are over a thousand radioactive sources in contested territories with weak or non-existent regulatory control. Nearly 1,200 radioactive sources, including IAEA Category I sources, are located in separatist-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine. Dozens of sources are currently located in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. These sources pose a risk for regional and global security as they could be trafficked illegally and used in a dirty bomb or other malicious purposes. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faces a range of political and legal challenges in providing assistance to secure radioactive materials since the sources in question are often found beyond the de facto or de jure control of any IAEA Member State or are located in territory contested by two or more IAEA Member States or non-state actors. This paper seeks to survey cases in which the IAEA addressed similar situations and draw out key lessons from those experiences, understand the mechanisms by which the IAEA interacts with international and regional security organizations to provide technical assistance in regions with weak or non-existent regulatory control, and identify political and legal questions that face decision-makers at the IAEA as they consider response to radiological security dilemmas in contested territories.