Carter: How to Counter WMD
Sunday, November 25, 2007
11:55 AM
Foreign Affairs 2004
242, Since 9/11 the US has gone into
Iraq looking for WMDs and found
none; meanwhile N. Korea has
quadrupled its plutonium. What is a
greater threat.
243, Chemical weapons are not so
much a threat as Bio and nuclear
weapons. What needs to be overhauled
is the US counter proliferation policy
that there must be a multi-layered
policy against nuclear terrorism,
including denying materials as well as
gathering intelligence. The two largest
threats are N. Korea and Iran.
244, The 8 D's have been used to fight
proliferation: dissuasion, disarmament,
diplomacy, denial, defusing, deterrence,
defenses, and destruction.
The US can us Stable alliances to
prevent rogues. This is what the Us has
been doing right for the past years. US
gives security in exchange for non-
proliferation. Long-term partnerships
serve the US better than short term
coalitions.
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245,Dissuasion and disarmament have not been
successful in dealing with some countries but
diplomacy has then been the next tool that has
prevented some countries from going nuclear.
When many of the D's fail, often the measure
taken is "preemption": going in and destroying the
weapons.
247, WMD terrorism in nuclear form is a major
threat. Only way to take care of it is to have govt's
lock up nuclear weapons and have the US lead the
way in eradicating remaining material for building
more weapons. In particular through Nunn-Lugar
programs aimed at this goal.
248, The next step is to make sure no more govts
make plutonium or enrich uranium. Then to
reduce the amounts of nuclear weapons.
Bioterrorism is another story, but making sure that
the Dept of Health knows how to make us immune
to the deadliest pathogens and stock piling
vaccines is key.
249, The NPT: Nuclear Prolif. Treaty has to be
strengthened, cutting out the option for the
peaceful atom. Meaning no more enriching
uranium, even for "peaceful ends".
251, the only real counter prolif. Efforts are the
fact at the US has said it will strike back with
Nuclear weapons if necessary; it also has long
range interballistic missiles as the first line of
defense. The US should develop better non-
nuclear counters to Nuclear weapons.
254, There is a need to use the technology to track
foreign countries operations to make sure they are
not developing chemical weapons. Also we have
to boost the quality of personnel and keeping the
top scientists on call. And finally with all this
information, the US must take action on it and
have it lead to change in practice.