TERRORISM: "Race Against Time" to Prevent Nuclear Terror

Stating that "technical barriers to mastering the essential steps of uranium enrichment, and to designing weapons, have eroded over time," Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), claimed that we are in a "race against time" to prevent a terrorist attack using nuclear weapons. Speaking Monday at a Sydney, Australia conference on nuclear proliferation and terror, ElBaradei said that "The threat of nuclear terrorism is real and current."



More than 60 incidents of trafficking in nuclear or other radioactive material are expected this year, and the discovery of undeclared nuclear programs in Iran, Libya, Iraq and North Korea offers further proof of the existence of a black market for these materials. The US, as the last remaining superpower, must take the lead in calling for stricter control of plutonium and highly enriched uranium supplies, particularly in the former Soviet Union, where the "largest inventory in the world" is held.

The Australian government has already gone on record, vowing to dramatically increase their efforts to prevent any illegal trafficking of nuclear and radiological materials through the Asia Pacific region. The United States, with its far greater resources, must heed ElBaradei's call to "seize the initiative rather than play a waiting game...."

"We need to stop maneuvering about who is going to take the first step," he said. "We all know what it takes to find a solution."

Related News Links:
www.nti.org
www.abc.net.au
www.mindfully.org

[edit on 11/10/2004 by sandge]

If the United States was to take the iniative like the article suggested, then the world just claim we were doing it for oil, power, etc.... And they would condenm us again for doing things on our own without the UN's support. Why doesn't the UN take the iniative?

As usual it sounds like the worlds problems have been dropped on our laps again. If we do something about it, we will sure be punished for it amongst our own living in the United States as well as the nations across the globe.
If we dont take action we will again here it as well.

The United States has come to be the place of the Damned!!!

Damned if we do, Damned if we dont!!!

Anyone know if we have satelites that can track radioactive material? I wonder if that is a technology that is feasible?

-P

well im from scotland and i think the world is going sour and the US and Uk are doing a gd job under the pressures they indure right now becuase of dark ages fundimentalism ,for a long time we have grown into a very proud and multi cultural idealoligy making the world a better place but now it seems the gloves are off and the little man has atomic weapons who will gladly jihad a nuke in the name of religon without thought or ??????? i hope the world will see sense and slowly move out of this conflict as i beleive to word human means us all forget the bull# of any fundimentalism and pick up any 1 who falls remember those who have died in all races and ethnic backrounds ,its a sad sad day when ppl dwell on the past and live there lives beeing filled with hate and anger

take a deep breath world and walk out ur door sucking in that air and be glad ur alive

~~

Well, if the head of the IAEA - Int'l Atomic Energy Agency,

says...the threat is real and probable

Then, the 'problem' is at the cusp of becoming an incident as
the Powers-That-Be...are ALWAYS behind the curve...

you know, the careful/cautious routine...after the obligatory
series of denials... - - - - -> (duck & cover!)

compared with the other low-cost and low-detection WMD's out there, I don't understand why there is such a focus on nuclear warheads. Nukes are reasonably difficult to make and everybody sees you making them. Not even N.Korea could do it secretly.

Why is there so little discussion about biological & chemical WMD's?

Originally posted by knights5629
If the United States was to take the iniative like the article suggested, then the world just claim we were doing it for oil, power, etc.... And they would condenm us again for doing things on our own without the UN's support. Why doesn't the UN take the iniative?

My thoughts exactly!

Also remember that Al baridi is the same guy that was responsible for the 380 tons of missing explosives he pinned on the US.

it's a bit flippant to say Al Baradei was at fault for the 380lbs. After all, the US had shut out the IAEA and turned it into their 'whipping boy' long before March2003.

IAEA had received zero support from the US, they were kept out of the information loophole and according to what we know now were even fed disinformation. Blix's unwillingness to give the US their carte blanche resulted in a lot of anger on the sides of the administration.

So much so, in fact, that just yesterday it was reported that the admin is trying anything it can to get rid of Baradei's reelection. Not enough that their info was wrong [WMD anyone?], they want to avoid the embarassment of anybody knowing about it.

Don't go hanging the wrong guys here...

of course i meant tons...ahem. wish it would have been lbs.

it is a sad day when the united states are called 'the last superpower' especially as they are finding it financially difficult to fund their troops in the places they are in (having to pull alot out of germany for example) and let us not forget china, who in my opinion are probably the biggest superpower at the moment (to quote the gaurdian [uk broadsheet newspaper] the us are holding an extrememly large naval fleet just off china's waters, just in case shall we say).

If the world wishes for terrorists to not have their hands on nuclear weapons, then the world must act on their own behalf, tho it also leads to surely it is as hard to get onto a plane and ram it into the twin towers as it is to contact a serious arms dealer, of whom I should suppose, many are around, to buy some armaments of this nature.

Who should we critise here tho, the people who hold the armaments (as in the countries) or the people who breed such filth into our world that would contemplate bringing such devestation on people.

Organizations, and individuals, will continue to try to obtain
nuclear weapons because then they have a deterrent against
(super) powerful enemies, like countries with armed forces
using advanced technology that start and fight wars to protect
THEIR interests. By the way that simply means the people in
government whose jobs are dependent on them maintaining
power and control over others, will try to kill other people
that threaten their jobs and life they are used to. Little boys
play with little toys, big boys play with big toys. Little boys
stub their toe, or skin their knee while playing.
Big boys kill each other with their toys. And bullies take the
initiative and try to kill others before they are killed.

People will find ways to obtain nuclear weapons, they will use
them, and the world will become a tyrannical dictatorship with
a government (meaning the people who control the force that
the organization called government can impose upon perceived
enemies that threaten its' continuation) always terrified and
paranoid that the people under their thumb will someday get
the upper hand (go figure!).

People will continue to kill each other by the millions, inflicting
through their misguided priorities death by disease, famine, war..
instead of solving their problems they will always find ways
to create new problems.

Any talk of a "race against time" to prevent nuclear terrorism
is nonsensical. Nuclear weapons will be obtained, they will be
used... and cameras on every street corner,
identification microchips in every person, constant monitoring
and surveillance, death squads under the direction of government
to make agitators disappear.. will not change the future.
The future is infinite variations of darkness, death, horrer,
hopelessness, pain and suffering for all, with the only constant
the stench of rotting flesh.

And that is the good news.

Its sad that we as citizens have to pay the price for our leaders mistakes. Why cant they just kill them instead of all of us? No thats kinda stupid but it just sucks how things work. What is also a bit sad is how we now have the power to destroy the world and every living thing in it its just a matter of time before it happens.

News flash too late. Chechyn's already have a nuke and are just looking for a market and a lot of money. As soon as they (whomever buys it) figure out how to get it in the US we are done. I'd say San Antonio will get hit or Houston. Bush is from there and a statement will be made. My first guess is into Mexico they will come, as previous posts have said. Canada is a bit too locked up for Arabs and most that come across are caucasians, read a non caucasian will flag the BP (border patrol) officers and a search is done. Now in the event that an extremist of caucasian background wants in and has reasonable credentials he gets in. A Mexican looks a bit like an Arab, so if it is an Arab only Mexico suffices as a POE (point of entry) If this isn't new then guess what. We have scenarios for this. We run war games (remember the black helicopters) all the time in DoD for actions such as these. I know that this is a conspiracy site but geez give you government more credit for protecting you. As for the UFO thing. Give your scientists more credit. Let's see Einstein died, what, like 40 years ago. Was he an alien? Nope, don't think so. Was he really fuc king smart...yep. Have you learned anything in the years you have been alive...maybe. With this in mind are we going to stay in 1950 in technology...nope. Time and advances move forward not reverse. So why is it so hard to believe that WE humans can make some really cool #? Why is it that the big bad US is involved in everything bad that happens around the world? They are jealous of a free and aggressive country. They want us to be passifists. Who are they? Look in the mirror.