The Nuclear Bible: Anti-Nuclear Legislation & Summits

Intro: The preparation of World leaders and politicians for nuclear terror started in the early 1990’s, but has increased rapidly in the last
couple of years.

Date: 1992
Source: Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)
Agency: U.S. Congress
Commission: International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (ICCNRD)

Abstract: U.S. Congress endorsed in 1992 the imaginative and forward-looking cooperative threat reduction programs sponsored by
Senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar, designed to lock down dangerous weapons and materials – and in particular to reduce the chance
of their falling into the hands of terrorist groups, or nations that sanction terrorism – in the former Soviet Union (and subsequently
expanded to a number of countries since, notably Pakistan). Add to all that now the risk of terrorist actors getting their hands on the
makings of a nuclear weapon. We can no longer be under any illusions about the intent of certain messianic groups to cause destruction
on a massive scale. And – although the probability is small, and probably lower than some alarmist accounts have suggested – their
capacity should not be underestimated to put together and detonate a Hiroshima-sized nuclear device. Using manageable technology long
in the public domain and back-channel sourcing of the kind the A.Q. Khan network taught us to be alarmed about, such a device
exploded from the inside of a large delivery truck in Trafalgar Square or Times Square, or in the centre of any other major city,
would cause in each case hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries. A much easier option for terrorist groups would be to make a ―dirty
bomb‖, combining conventional explosives with radioactive materials like medical isotopes, which would generate nothing like the
casualties of a fission or fusion bomb but have a psychological impact at least equal to 9/11 (NTI, 2010).

Date: 2000
Source: NSSA
Agency: National Nuclear Security Administration

Abstract: The NSSA was established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of
Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science in the nation‘s national security
enterprise. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without
nuclear testing; reduces the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear
propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad. (NSSA, 2010).

Date: April, 2004

Source: U.S. Department Of State
Agency: United Nations
Law: UNSC Resolution 1540

Abstract: In April 2004, the UN Security Council adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1540, establishing for the first time
binding obligations on all UN member states under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to take and enforce effective measures against
the proliferation of WMD, their means of delivery and related materials. UNSCR 1540, if fully implemented, can help ensure that no
State or non-State actor is a source or beneficiary of WMD proliferation. All states have three primary obligations under UNSCR 1540
relating to such items: to prohibit support to non-State actors seeking such items; to adopt and enforce effective laws prohibiting the
proliferation of such items to non-State actors, and prohibiting assisting or financing such proliferation; and to take and enforce effective
measures to control these items, in order to prevent their proliferation, as well as to control the provision of funds and services that
contribute to proliferation. If implemented successfully, each state's actions will significantly strengthen the international standards
relating to the export of sensitive items and support for proliferators (including financing) and ensure that non-state actors,
including terrorist and black-market networks, do not gain access to chemical, nuclear or biological weapons, their means of
delivery or related materials (U.S. Department of State, 2004).
Date: April 13, 2005
Source: Center For Disease Information, Steven C. Welsh
Agency: United Nations
Summit: Nuclear Terrorism Convention: International Convention For The Suppression of Acts Of Nuclear Terrorism

Abstract: UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, which
criminalizes unauthorized possession or destructive use of nuclear or radioactive materials (including sabotage of nuclear facilities) by non-
state actors. The convention, which entered into force on July 7, 2007, is intended to strengthen the commitment of UN member states to
work together to prevent nuclear terrorism. However, the convention does not apply to acts committed within a single state or when the
offender or victims are citizens of the same state (Welsh, 2005).

Date: July 16, 2006

Source: Wikipedia
Agency: U.S. Department of State
Summit: Global Initiative To Combat Nuclear Terrorism

Abstract: On July 16, 2006, Presidents George W. Bush and Vladmir Putin jointly announced the organization of the Global
Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. The GICNT is a voluntary initiative aimed at fostering international cooperation in order
to prevent terrorists from acquiring, transporting, or using nuclear materials or radioactive substances, to deter hostile actions
against nuclear facilities, and to respond to incidents involving the use of radiological or nuclear materials. GICNT participants work
to unite experience and expertise from the nonproliferation, counter-proliferation, and counter-terrorism fields; strengthen global activities
and institutions through integration of collective capabilities and resources; and maintain a network for partners to share information and
expertise in a legally non-binding capacity. The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) is an international
partnership of 82 nations and 4 official observers working to improve capacity on a national and international level for prevention,
detection, and response to a nuclear terrorist event. Partners join the GICNT by endorsing the Statement of Principles, a set of broad
nuclear security objectives. GICNT partner nations organize and host workshops, conferences, and exercises to share best practices for
implementing the Statement of Principles. The GICNT also holds Planetary meetings to discuss improvements and changes to the
partnership (Wikipedia, 2010).

Date: June 8, 2008

Source: Wikipedia
Summit: International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

Abstract: The International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament is a joint initiative of the Australian and Japanese
governments. It was proposed by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 9 June 2008, and on 9 July 2008 Rudd and Japanese Prime
Minister Yasuo Fukuda agreed to establish it. The Commission is co-chaired by former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans and
former Japanese foreign minister Yoriko Kawaguchi. Key goals for the Commission include undertaking preparatory work for the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in 2010, including shaping a global consensus in the lead-up to the Review Conference. The
Commission presented its report on 15 December 2009 (Wikipedia, 2010).

Date: 2009
Source: NSSA
Agency: United Nations
Law: UNSC Resolution 1887

Abstract: The United Nations Security Council Summit on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Disarmament, UNSC Resolution 1887,
expresses the Council's grave concern about the threat of nuclear proliferation and the need for international action to prevent it. It
reaffirms that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery are threats to international peace and security
and shows agreement on a broad range of actions to address nuclear proliferation and disarmament and the threat of nuclear
terrorism. Broadly, the resolution supports: Better security for nuclear weapons materials to prevent terrorists from acquiring materials
essential to make a bomb, including through the convening of a Nuclear Security Summit in 2010, locking down vulnerable nuclear
weapons materials in four years, a goal originally proposed by President Obama, minimizing the civil use of highly enriched uranium to the
extent feasible, and encouraging the sharing of best practices as a practical way to strengthen nuclear security and the Global Initiative
to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and the G-8 Global Partnership. The Security Council's authority and vital role in addressing the threat
to international peace and security posed by the spread of nuclear weapons and underscoring the Council's intent to take action if
nuclear weapons or related material are provided to terrorists (NSSA, 2010).
Date: August 5, 2009
Source: NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative)
Title/Headline: The Global Initiative To Combat Nuclear Terrorism

Abstract: A joint statement issued after a July 6, 2009 summit meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President
Dmitriy Medvedev called for advancing the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), an effort the two governments had
launched at a similar summit meeting three years earlier. In a speech in Prague on April 5, 2009, Obama called for institutionalizing this
Bush-era initiative, which is currently an informal grouping rather than a formal institution.

Background: The GICNT was launched by U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 15, 2006. It is
aimed at fostering international cooperation in order to prevent terrorists from acquiring, transporting, or using nuclear materials and
radioactive substances, or carrying out hostile actions against nuclear facilities. GICNT's participants are "seeking to bring together
experience and expertise from the nonproliferation, counter proliferation, and counterterrorism disciplines; integrate collective capabilities
and resources to strengthen the overall global architecture to combat nuclear terrorism; and provide the opportunity for nations to share
information and expertise in a legally non-binding environment." The 13 founding Global Initiative partners first met in Rabat, Morocco,
on October 30-31, 2006, and agreed on a statement of principles to combat nuclear terrorism and a methodology for assessing progress in
this area. These principles indicated how the members aimed to build up the capacity of state parties "to combat nuclear terrorism on a
determined and systematic basis, consistent with national legal authorities and obligations they have under relevant international legal
frameworks", notably the Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the Convention on the Physical Protection of
nuclear Material and its 2005 Amendment, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540. According to the State Department, by
endorsing the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, "partners are providing their political support and commitment to
strengthening and implementing the Statement of Principles."

These Principles Include:

 Developing and improving physical protection systems safeguarding nuclear and radioactive materials;
 Strengthening security of civilian nuclear facilities;
 Enhancing the capability to detect nuclear and radioactive materials to stop illicit trafficking of these materials;
 Preventing the establishment of terrorist safe havens and financial or economic resources to terrorists seeking to acquire or use
nuclear or radioactive materials;
 Leverage response, mitigation, and investigation tools for terrorist attacks;
 Encouraging information sharing between and among partner countries pertaining to acts of nuclear terrorism;

The GICNT seeks to involve partner-nations in "conducting various multilateral activities, workshops, and table-top and field exercises."
These exercises are similar in concept to the exercises that are held from time to time in the United States to simulate homeland security or
emergency response events. Many exercises held to date have trained responders for activities after a nuclear detonation, the so-called
"post-event" response. However, Global Initiative partner nations also engage in "pre-event" activities, such as detecting illegally obtained
nuclear materials that could potentially prevent execution of an attack. For example, in 2008, the partners held a field exercise in Spain, in
which they sought to detect the presence of illicit nuclear materials. That same year, Kazakhstan's Special Forces conducted a training
exercise "Atom-Antiterror-2008" at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Ala-Tau. The scenario centered on intrusion of 12 individuals upon
the Institute's territory. The individuals encountered resistance from the security forces while making their way to the Institute's reactor and
took some of the Institute's staff hostage. The Special Forces stormed the building, arresting the intruders, rescuing the hostages, and
alleviating danger to the reactor. GICNT partner-nations have also sought to develop a Global Nuclear Detection Architecture and a Model
Guidelines Document to help states determine what is needed to carry out effective nuclear detection on their own territory. The emerging
Global Nuclear Detection architecture is intended to be a multilayered, international system with associated resources and infrastructure
that could provide a capability to detect radiological and nuclear threats. This system involves securing and accounting for nuclear and
radiological materials, screening shipping from ports, border protection, coast guard/maritime inspection, and at-sea interdiction. The
Model Guidelines lay out the structural and technical elements needed at a national level for nuclear detection as well as related
information architectures and a framework for implementing such a system. A first draft of the guidelines was circulated in November
2008, and a revised draft was prepared after a meeting in Germany in April 2009. According to U.S. officials, the proposals continue to be
refined.

Meetings of the Global Initiative since the founding meeting in Rabat:

 A meeting in Ankara, Turkey in February, 2007 focused on deepening the cooperation between partner countries & encouraging
more countries to join;
 A meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan on June 11-12, 2007 discussed strategies and exercises useful to the defense of nuclear
facilities;
 A meeting in Madrid, Spain on June 17, 2008 discussed the importance of cooperation between nations' private sectors, their
respective federal governments, and international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency;

The latest GICNT meeting took place in The Hague on June 18, 2009 and focused on nuclear forensics and development of a "new
framework to enhance operational cooperation between partners investigating illicit uses of nuclear material." Global Initiative partners
also agreed to continue outreach efforts to further expand participation in key regions around the world. U.S. officials have pointed
especially to the need for greater participation from countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. As of July 7, 2009, 76
countries had signed on to the GICNT. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Union, and the International
Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) also serve as serve as official observers.

Institutionalizing The Global Initiative: In his April 5, 2009 Prague speech, in which he set a goal of ridding the world of nuclear
weapons, Obama called nuclear terrorism "the most immediate and extreme threat to global security." He said that "because this threat will
be lasting, we should come together to turn efforts such as the Proliferation Security Initiative and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism into durable international institutions.‖ He also pledged to secure all vulnerable nuclear material worldwide before the end of his
first term in January 2013 and called for a global summit on nuclear security in 2010. At the latest Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism meeting at The Hague on June 16, 2009, Assistant Secretary of State C.S Eliot Kang indicated that the United States would like
the GICNT members to be significantly involved in carrying out Obama's Prague pledges, including the global nuclear security summit,
now scheduled for March 2010 and the commitment to secure nuclear materials within four years. According to Kang, Moscow and
Washington have discussed "ways to make a more effective and enduring international institution" out of the Global Initiative. He also
noted that "some ideas under consideration include clearly identifying a policy making body, having a decision making mechanism that is
open to all partners, better coordinating exercise planning... facilitating capacity building, which is central to this initiative.‖ Russian
president Medvedev has recently stated that "Moscow and Washington have a special responsibility to counter WMD proliferation and
terrorism." At their meetings in April and July 2009, Medvedev and Obama have pointed to GICNT's importance. At a summit in London
on April 1, 2009 the two leaders issued a joint statement in which they pledged to further promote the Global Initiative to new countries.
Further, at the July summit in Moscow they promised to "jointly initiate practical steps, to include conducting world-wide regional nuclear
security best-practices workshops, to facilitate greater international cooperation in implementing this initiative.‖ Thus, three years after its
inception, the GICNT—now a 76 partner-nation tool for countering nuclear terrorism—continues its emergence as an important venue for
coordinating and sharing security, response, and law enforcement best practices (NTI, 2010).

Date: February 16, 2010

Source: White House
Law: H.R. 730: Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act

Abstract: According to the White House, H.R. 730, the ―Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act,‖ establishes in statute the National
Technical Nuclear Forensics Center in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); and requires DHS to establish a National
Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program to provide scholarships and fellowships to undergraduate and graduate
students for studies in specialties relevant to nuclear forensics (White House, 2010).

Date: February 16, 2010

Source: House Committee On Homeland Security, Bennie G. Thompson
Title/Headline: Nuclear Forensics And Attribution Act Signed

Abstract: Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement in reaction to
President Obama signing H.R. 730: "In the case of an attempted or, in the worst case, a successful nuclear or radiological attack,
rapid attribution is critical. Our government must have the capacity to quickly determine the source of the nuclear material so that
the key decision-makers have the information needed to respond." Thompson went on to state that, ―We know that our enemies, both
terrorists and rogue nations, are interested in developing and using nuclear or radiological weapons. By signing this bill into law, the
President has taken a major step forward in developing the expertise we need in nuclear forensics-related sciences‖ (DHS, 2010).

Date: February 17, 2010

Source: NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative)
Title/Headline: Obama Signs Nuclear Forensics Bill

Abstract: U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday signed legislation intended to bolster U.S. technical expertise in the field of nuclear
forensics and attribution as part of national efforts to deter acts of nuclear terrorism (NTI, 2010)

Date: April 2, 2010

Source: Global Research, Wei Guoan
Title/Headline: The Dangers Of Nuclear War: U.S.-Russian Nuke Deal No Cure For Real Threat

Abstract: After nearly a year's negotiations, the U.S. and Russian governments finally reached an agree-ment on further reduction
and limitation of nuclear weapon arms. The agreement will be signed on April 8, limiting the total number of warheads to less than
1,550. Overall, it is good for world peace and stability as well as the prevention of nuclear proliferation, but we shouldn't be over-optimistic
about the treaty. The motivations behind the treaty are clear. Russia is opposed to the U.S. missile defense system and its deployment in
Eastern Europe. The U.S. continues to expand the scope of the missile defense system, which constitutes a real threat to Russia in
Eastern Europe. With 95 percent of the world's total nuclear warheads, the U.S. and Russia are the world's two largest nuclear
powers. Russia has more than 14,000 missiles and the U.S. has more than 9,000. This remains one of the few areas where the former
U.S.'s national strength is as great as ever, so the U.S. is active in working toward compromise in this field. Yet the treaty has its problems.
In the existing agreements, the number of nuclear warheads was limited to between 1,500 and 2,200. This new agreement itself has no new
breakthroughs and has not met the expectations of the international community. Half a year ago, the limit of 1,500 was proposed, but in the
end, it became 1,550, no big breakthrough at all. The most fundamental problem is that the provisions do not eliminate nuclear weapons but
instead change their level of readiness. Nuclear weapons have three states of readiness: fully equipped and ready to be fired, readied
but with the head and body separated, and finally, in storage conditions with the warhead removed. This treaty reduces the number
of fully equipped nuclear weapons to less than 1,550, but the excess missiles will not be destroyed, only moved to a different state of
readiness. They could be activated and re-weaponized in only a short span of time. Despite the agreement, the U.S. also continues to
work on developing new nuclear weapons itself. While some are being moved from the frontlines, lighter, more accurate weapons
are being developed, as well as so-called bunker-busters designed to penetrate deeply into the Earth. The U.S.-Russian agreement
only limits bilateral development, but the real concern is the spread of nuclear weapons worldwide. The U.S. is planning to hold a nuclear
safety summit on April 13 where the core issue is the nuclear non-proliferation. Once nuclear technology spreads, and especially if
terrorist organizations get their hands on nuclear materials, the consequences are unpredictable, and it is in every country's
interests to prevent this. U.S. standards on nuclear proliferation are also inconsistent. It gives tacit approval to Israel's nuclear
weapons program, and makes no effort to discourage Japan from stockpiling raw materials that could, in theory, produce thousands of
nuclear weapons. In contrast, the U.S. has been particularly sensitive to Iran and North Korea. Iran has not tested nuclear weapons, but
claims to developing civilian nuclear facilities. However, the U.S. has been strongly working for sanctions against it as a consequence and
even considering military actions. Out of political considerations, the U.S. has adopted two completely different standards on the use
of nuclear technology by various nations. To make a convincing case for non-proliferation, the U.S. should apply the same
standards to every country (Guoan, 2010).

Date: May 8, 2010

Source: Press TV
Title/Headline: IAEA to Focus on Israeli Nukes in June

Abstract: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will discuss Israel - the owner of Middle East's sole atomic arsenal -- and its
nuclear activities. The IAEA is allowed to refer nuclear proliferation concerns to the UN Security Council. The issue, which has always
eluded IAEA's agenda with the help of the United States, has been included in the list of items to be brought up at the agency's gathering on
June 7, the Associated Press reported Saturday. The matter is to be discussed under the subject of Israel's "nuclear capabilities" at the
request of the body's 18 Arab members. The organization has avoided the issue since its inception and for more than half a century amid
Israel's insistence on maintaining a policy of nuclear "ambiguity," under which the regime neither confirms nor denies having nuclear
weapons. Tel Aviv has repeatedly brushed aside international calls for joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Since 1958,
when Israel began building the Dimona plutonium and uranium processing facility, it has allegedly manufactured scores of nuclear
warheads, earning reputation as the sole owner of such weapons in the Middle East. Former US President Jimmy Carter has attested to the
existence of the arsenal, which he said includes between 200 to 300 warheads. According to AP, the June meeting's agenda could change,
should Washington and other Israeli allies raise strong objections to the measure‖ (Press TV, 2010).

Date: June 8, 2010

Source: NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative)
Title/Headline: EU, U.S. Adopt Counterterrorism Declaration

Abstract: The European Union and the United States have adopted a new counterterrorism declaration that calls for strengthened
activities aimed at preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, officials said last week. The document states
that the European Union, its member nations and the United States would take a number of measures to reduce the threat of
terrorism, including enhancing "efforts to counter the risks of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) material
being obtained or used by terrorists, including by building a stronger global nonproliferation regime, securing all nuclear
material". Washington and Brussels also pledged to "seek to build a more permanent joint mechanism for EU-U.S. cooperation on
explosives and critical infrastructure protection" and to "encourage the global ratification and effective implementation of all relevant
international conventions and protocols on counterterrorism". U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder welcomed last week's adoption by an EU
body of the declaration, which also asserts the importance of cooperation between the EU, the United States and the United Nations on
counterterrorism preparations. "This declaration demonstrates our joint commitment to protect our citizens from terrorism
consistent with our laws, our values and our commitment to individual privacy," Holder said in a statement. "Our work with our
EU partners to protect the security of our citizens – including through programs such as the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program
and the Passenger Name Record Agreement – is critical to the success of our counterterrorism efforts" (NTI, 2010).

Date: July 23, 2010

Source: PR Newswire, US Newswire
Title/Headline: Key Congressional Committees Boost Funds to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism

Abstract: Two key Congressional committees this week gave a big boost to the administration's efforts to prevent nuclear materials
from falling into the hands of violent extremist groups. Both committees fully funded the administration's request for a 27 percent
increase for two Energy Department programs to secure vulnerable nuclear materials in other countries. "The nuclear nonproliferation
initiatives of the Obama administration have enjoyed strong bipartisan support," explains David Culp, a lobbyist for the Friends
Committee on National Legislation (Quakers). "These significant budget increases reflect the concern of many members of Congress
in securing bomb-grade nuclear material internationally. They also are a result of a concerted lobbying effort by the Energy
Department, Vice President Biden, and Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher." The House Energy and Water Appropriations
Subcommittee voted July 15 to fully fund the administration's request for these funds. Its Senate counterpart subcommittee followed suit on
July 20, with the full Senate Appropriations Committee adopting the increase on July 22. The Bush 43 administration began the Global
Threat Reduction Initiative program in 2004 and they expanded the International Nuclear Material Protection and Cooperation program.
The two Bush programs enjoyed strong support from Sen. Dick Lugar (IN), one of Obama's foreign policy mentors. Obama developed the
idea of accelerating the "loose nukes" programs on the campaign trail and included the funding increases in his budget this year.
President Obama had pledged during his campaign to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials worldwide within four years. The
administration persuaded 46 other countries to ratify that goal at an international Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in April. The
acting chairman of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Ed Pastor (AZ), said at its bill-drafting session, "The
Global Threat Reduction Initiative, along with the International Nuclear Material Protection and Cooperation, will lead the efforts
to secure fissile material in four years; the bill provides $1.1 billion, the same as the request and $243 million above 2010, for this
important effort." Pastor said at the June 15 markup that he was regularly getting phone calls from Vice President Joe Biden asking about
the funding. The ranking member of the House subcommittee, Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ), also voiced his support for the nonproliferation
increases in the subcommittee markup. Senate subcommittee chairman Byron Dorgan (ND) stated in his report on the bill, "The
Committee supports NNSA's goal of securing all vulnerable nuclear material within 4 years. Securing nuclear materials at the sites
and facilities where they are located is the best defense against nuclear terrorism." NNSA is the National Nuclear Security Agency.
The full House Appropriations Committee has not yet scheduled the bill for final approval, but may take it up the week of July 26. A
House-Senate conference committee will hammer out the differences in the two bills, probably as part of a larger, year-end "omnibus"
appropriations bill in a lame-duck session of Congress in November and December. The Friends Committee on National Legislation, the
oldest registered religious lobby in Washington, is a non-partisan Quaker lobby in the public interest. FCNL works with a
nationwide network of tens of thousands of people from every state in the U.S. to advocate for social and economic justice, peace,
and good government. For more information: www.fcnl.org (PR Newswire, 2010).

Date: July 31, 2010

Source: The Hill, Andrew Stiles
Title/Headline: Lawmakers Tackle Gaping Flaws In WMD Attack Preparedness

Abstract: A Senate Judiciary subcommittee will assess government preparedness for a terrorist attack with weapons of mass
destruction in the wake of a report calling Justice Department planning inadequate. The Subcommittee on Terrorism and
Homeland Security will hear testimony from senior Justice Department and Homeland Security officials concerning the ability of
the United States to prevent as well as respond to an attack using a WMD. The hearing comes after several damning reports about the
country’s ability to prevent such an attack, including a report card this year from a blue-ribbon commission that gave the White House
three failing grades on WMD preparedness. On top of this, the intelligence and security lapses that preceded a string of recent
domestic attacks — the deadly shooting at Fort Hood and failed bombing attempts on Northwest Flight 253 over Detroit on
Christmas Day and on Times Square — have done little to inspire confidence from homeland security hawks in Congress. The
subcommittee will address specifically a May 2010 report by Glenn Fine, the inspector general of the Justice Department, that raised
serious questions about the department’s ability to respond to a potential WMD attack. ―The Department of Justice as a whole … has
not implemented adequate WMD response plans. As a result, the Department is not fully prepared to provide a coordinated
response to a WMD incident,‖ the report said. Fine is scheduled to testify at the hearing. The report is one of several this year finding
flaws in the country‘s preparedness for a catastrophic terrorist attack. In January 2010, the Commission on the Prevention of
Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism issued a "report card" assessing the government’s progress in implementing
preventive measures recommended by the commission in a December 2008 report. The Obama administration received mixed grades in
the January report, including three Fs, for failure to prepare effectively for a biological attack, failure to recruit and train a new
generation of national security experts and failure to reform congressional oversight on intelligence and national security. Retired
Col. Randall Larsen, USAF, the executive director of the commission, will also testify before the subcommittee. ―We gave America, as a
whole, an ‗F,‘ ‖ Larsen said. The blue-ribbon commission, chaired by former Sens. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and Jim Talent (R-Mo.), was
created by Congress following a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission. Graham and Talent’s initial report in 2008 warned that a
terrorist attack using WMDs was ―likely‖ to occur somewhere in the world by 2013, with the United States being a prime target.
The commission officially concluded its work in February, but Graham, Talent and Larsen have sought to continue their efforts by forming
the Bipartisan WMD Terrorism Research Center. Larsen said his primary mission is to educate lawmakers about the seriousness of the
threat posed by WMDs and that this will be the focus of his testimony next week. ―Congress has got a lot on its minds, but this should
be one of its highest priorities,‖ Larsen said. ―All these little battles we have to fight, I don‘t think we‘d have to be doing that if
members of Congress really understood the threat,‖ he added. The commission’s latest report slammed Congress for failing to
consolidate nearly 100 committees and subcommittees that oversee some aspect of the Department of Homeland Security. "Virtually no
progress has been made since consolidation was first recommended by the 9/11 Commission in 2004," the report stated. The Obama
administration disputed the commission’s findings, arguing that the president had accomplished a "great deal" since taking office. The
commission‘s report laid out a range of measures the federal government should pursue to reduce the United States‘ vulnerability
to such an attack, including increased security and awareness at biological research labs and strengthening international treaties
against the spread of biological and nuclear weapons. Lawmakers have been making progress to address the commission’s concerns
through legislative action. At a press conference last month, Graham and Talent joined members of the House Homeland Security
Committee to announce the introduction of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2010, a
bipartisan bill that aims to enact the commission’s recommendations. Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) described it as ―a
major step forward on the threat from WMD.‖ The bill is the House companion to legislation introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.)
and Susan Collins (R-Maine) in 2009. Both bills have cleared committee but have yet to be brought to the floor for a vote. Lieberman and
Collins, respectively chairman and ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, presided at a June 30 hearing on nuclear
terrorism where they heard alarming testimony from government officials concerning the United State’s ability to prevent a nuclear attack.
Lieberman said the officials‘ testimony was ―a real alarm bell going off‖ in terms of the country‘s preparedness. ―The threat of
nuclear terrorism is growing faster than our ability to prevent an attack on our homeland,‖ he said at the hearing (Stiles, 2010).

Date: September 25, 2010

Source: Kawther Salam
Title/Headline: IAEA Adopts Atomic Weapons In The Middle East

Abstract: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA’s) 54th General Conference of Member States concluded yesterday, Friday
September 24 2010, in Vienna. The member states of the (IAEA) voted on a draft resolution introduced by the Arab States calling
for Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The United States and its major allies, the European States and some small
western countries, who called for a Middle East free from ―weapons of mass destruction‖, allied themselves over the past three days
by holding continuous meetings and gatherings outside the hall where the 54 IAEA General Conference was held at the UN headquarters in
Vienna, in order to thwart the resolution introduced by the Arab States. Forty-six delegations voted in favor of the resolution, 51 against it
and 23 others abstained from voting in the 151-member General Assembly of the IAEA. The Arab representatives and ambassadors all
said that Israel‘s presumed nuclear arsenal threatens regional peace and stability. The Jewish state is the region‘s only country
outside the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The scene of the political gatherings held by the Europeans and their allies outside of the
main conference in order to support Israel and thwart the Arab draft resolution confirms that there is a deep chasm between the West and
the Middle East and it also showed the double standards implicit in the decisions of the block of Western countries when dealing with the
issue of nuclear weapons in Israel, North Korea and Iran. Israel, which possesses a nuclear arsenal, pursues a policy of ―nuclear ambiguity‖
and refuses to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty which could force them to renounce nuclear weapons. The United States urged other states
members of the IAEA to vote down the Arab-sponsored draft resolution. ―Symbolically it is important to vote down this non-binding
resolution‖ said the US representative to the IAEA, claiming that the vote in favor of the resolution ―could disrupt a broader effort to ban
such weapons in the Middle East‖ and sends a negative message to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which recently resumed. This
―peace process‖ is merely one more show in the theater which legitimizes the Israeli genocide and war crimes in Palestine and
lengthens the occupation under sham ―peace negotiations‖. The more serious question which arises after the vote on this resolution
is if Israel will at some time in the future use its nuclear weapons to attack the same European states which rejected the Arab-
sponsored draft resolution calling on Israel to join the NPT. Asking this question, even thinking about it, is taboo for the regimes of the
European Union and the western world, which are all led by pro-Zionist politicians who often have double nationality and who
obviously always adopt decisions of foreign policy concerning Israel which are favorable to Israel but are gravely detrimental to
the obvious interests of the countries which these politicians represent. Israel, which in public speaks sweet and honey words to its
European ―allies‖, at the same time teaches Israeli children in kindergarten, primaries and later to hate and seek revenge from
Europe, where the ―descendants of the Nazis‖ live, according to the language used school texts in Israel. Children are taught in one
way or another to seek revenge from the European countries, and revenge this is only matter of time for Israel. Anybody who denies this
should spend some days at the Israeli schools and watch the movies which the kids see in their childhood, which teach them that the whole
world should ―kneel before the feet of the Jews‖, and generally speak with the people on the streets, letting them speak freely about their
views about Europe (Kawther Salam, 2010).

Date: 2012
Source: Wikipedia
Title/Headline: 2012 Nuclear Security Summit
Abstract: At the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, American president Barack Obama announced that the next Nuclear Security Summit
would be held in South Korea in 2012. The importance of planning for the conference was clarified when the American president explained
his view that "we have the opportunity, as partners, to ensure that our progress is not a fleeting moment, but part of a serious and sustained
effort (Wikipedia, 2010).

Conclusion: It appears that humanity is about to enter the Nuclear Terror Age and the so called leaders of the world appear just fine
with that scenario. As though they are oblivious to the consequences of such an attack, they appear to be falling in line behind Obama as
the world plunges into its darkest time yet.