How can countries ensure that the Nuclear Security Summit does not lose momentum and become just another gathering?: Position: Consensus, not enforcement

摘要

In 2009, President Barack Obama announced from Prague誷 Hradcany square that òthe most immediate andnextreme threat to global securityó was nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists, and world leaders listened.nA year later, 47 of these leaders responded to Obama誷 call òto secure all vulnerable nuclear material aroundnthe world within four yearsó when they gathered in Washington, DC, for the first Nuclear Security Summit.nSince then, nearly 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (HEU) have been removed from 10 countries.nAnd both Russia and the United States have worked hard on HEU destruction efforts?8 metric tons and 7nmetric tons, respectively. In March, 50 nations are taking part in the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. But howncan these countries ensure that the momentum toward a global nuclear security culture isn誸 lost, and thenSeoul summit does not devolve into just another gathering? Three authors explore this question: from thenUnited States, Sharon Squassoni (2012); from Turkey, Mustafa Kibaroglu (2012); and from India, Rajiv Nayan.nThe authors are nuclear security experts and members of the Fissile Materials Working Group, which publishesna monthly column at www.thebulletin.org.