Student Pugwash USA Election Guide 2004

Nuclear Proliferation

In Detail

During the first 2004 presidential debate, Bush and Kerry agreed that nuclear proliferation is the single most serious threat facing the United States. Terrorists using nuclear weapons, also known as weapons of mass destruction (WMD), against the U.S. is at the heart of that threat.¹ The key to preventing access to nuclear weapon material is to safeguard existing nuclear weapons around the world and to stop countries from developing nuclear weapon capacity.

Under President Bush, various actions were taken to create partnerships around the world to support counter-proliferation actions. The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) is "an effort to enhance and expand efforts to prevent the flow of WMD, their delivery systems, and related materials to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern" and create a "basis for practical cooperation among states to help navigate the increasingly challenging arena of proliferation."^2,3 In May of 2004, 62 countries met at Poland to discuss proliferation issues in light of PSI.³

In addition, with President Bush's support, at the G8 Summit in Kananaskis the G8 countries agreed to develop the G-8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, an action plan for securing nuclear materials, dismantling Russia's submarines, stopping nuclear material smuggling, etc.³

President Bush has also requested funds for "research on low-yield nuclear weapons, an earth penetrating nuclear weapon, modification of the Nevada Test Site, and the planning for a new plutonium pit weapons production facility."⁴ Kerry is highly critical of President Bush's push to develop new sets of nuclear weapons.¹ Kerry believes that the new nuclear program "undermines our credibility in persuading other nations" and if elected, he will terminate the program.⁵

Iran

Iran has resumed producing enriched uranium, needed in nuclear warheads, after Iran had promised to suspend the program when Britain, France and Germany visited the country in 2003.^6,7 On October 17, 2004, Iran reiterated that it would not "accept any proposal depriving it of the right to enrich uranium, saying it can't be bullied into giving up its nuclear energy program."⁸ European diplomats had wanted to secure a deal with Iranian leaders to exchange technical and economic assistance for a promise to stop Iran's uranium enrichment program.^6,8 This is a situation in progress.

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Libya

Bush credits Libya's surrender of WMD in December 2003 to his counter-proliferation policies. As supporters of the PSI, German and Italian authorities discovered a ship containing centrifuge parts headed for Libya. The parts, possibly used to develop WMD, were originally tracked down by U.S. and British Intelligence.⁹

North Korea

North Korea is suspected to be developing nuclear weapons. Three rounds of six-nation talks have taken place since 2001 to ease the rising conflicts with North Korea.¹⁰ Bush wants to continue multinational talks with countries in Asia to "completely, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle its [North Korea's] nuclear programs."sup>9 Kerry wants ?bilateral talks which put all of the issues from the Armistice of 1952, the economic issues, the human rights issues, the artillery disposal issues, the DMZ issues and the nuclear issues on the table."¹

Russia

Russia and former soviet countries maintain stockpiles of nuclear warheads from the Cold War nuclear race, and many are not secured, which make them vulnerable to land in terrorists' hands. Kerry believes that "at his [Bush's] pace, it will take 13 years to secure those weapons in Russia," and Edwards and He are "going to get the job of containing all of that nuclear material in Russia done in four years"¹ Bush agrees that "it is urgent that we improve the physical protection and accounting of nuclear materials and prevent illicit nuclear trafficking."¹¹ In 2002 President Bush and President Putin signed the Moscow Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions to pledge to reduce each country's nuclear arsenal to 1700-2200 warheads, nearly two-thirds below current levels, by the end of 2012.¹² Bush says that his administration has "increased funding for dealing with nuclear proliferation about 35 percent since he has [I've] been the President"¹

Learn about Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Bunker Busters.

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