Topic Area A:

North Koreas Non-compliance; recrudescence of nuclear violation and its

possibility of outbreak again.

PRECARIOUSNESS OF THE CURRENT SITUATION

North Korea’s second nuclear test; an underground detonation of a nuclear device on the 25th of
May 2009,and the several missile tests carried out following this test, have shocked the world’s
eyes open to the seemingly imminent threat of usage of nuclear technology and warheads as a
form of aggression in any dispute between two parties. The escalating tension between North and
South Korea, and the bold statements issued by North Korea, claiming that the Korean peninsula
would go back to a state of war, and interpreting the joining of South Korea to the Proliferation
Security Initiative as a declaration of war, tends to create a lot of hostility between the two nations
and makes North Korea’s use of nuclear warheads to have its way in any conflict a very viable
reality indeed.
The test was much more potent than the one carried out in 2006, with an estimated yield of
around 10-20 kilotons. The seismic activity detected was rated at 4.52 on the Richter Scale and
was felt as far as Texas, which is nearly halfway across the world. This apparent increase in the
nuclear capabilities of North Korea is, in its eyes, a necessary step to increase its self-defensive
nuclear deterrence because of the threat posed to its sovereignty by the USA and its nuclear
arsenal, and the support of the US government for South Korea.

IMPLICATIONS OF THIS NON-COMPLIANCE ON THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY

North Korea pulling itself out of the NPT and not being a signatory of the CTBT may be a cue for
other nations to distance themselves out of any such treaty due to issues of national security and
further enhance the risk of nuclear warfare; which could easily be the end of this world order. With
countries like India and Pakistan having acquired, and Iran and Israel suspected of pursuing
military nuclear technology, the danger of nuclear warfare becomes all the more susceptible as
these nations have had a history riddled with conflicts and arguments, and it would not be prudent
to rule out any possibility of aggression in the future, where the use of ballistic missiles carrying
nuclear warheads may be the final and fatal blow.

IMMEDIATE AIMS OF THE RESOLUTION

At such a critical stage, where the world waits with bated breath regarding the outcome of North
Korea’s non-compliance, the IAEA committee would seek to discuss how to defuse the situation
through diplomatic channels and put North Korea’s nuclear facilities back under IAEA safeguards,
by making it sign the NPT and ratify the CTBT.

ENSURING NO SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES DEVELOP IN THE FUTURE

In the longer run we would also seek ways to ensure no such situation arises in the future. The
inherent flaws in the NPT allow any party to withdraw itself from the treaty if it deems necessary
and thus does not bind a nation to stay in compliance with the treaty. Thus, in formalizing a
framework to reduce the risk of non-compliance, it would be imperative to introduce amendments
and improvements to the current context of the NPT to make it more binding and allowing it to
bring under question any signatory whose nuclear program is found in violation to the treaty. By
pruning and shearing the NPT to make it more suited to the current world scenario, we can
ensure for ourselves a more secure future where the nuclear world does not run rampant and the
threat of a nuclear war annihilating the world order is minimal.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8066615.stm
Topic Area B
Rising Nuclear Terrorism and its devastating implications; safeguarding
nuclear facilities against external penetration

Introduction to the Problem

Terrorism, in all its various forms and manifestations, has been on the rise since the 9/11 attacks
in 2001 and since then has grown to present itself as the biggest threat to global peace and
security in modern times. Ironically, this rise in terrorism has been alongside a gradual increase in
the use of civilian nuclear technology. With the rapid depletion of fossil fuels and the increased
pace of technological and industrial advancements, nuclear technology offers one of most
consistent, efficient and cost-effective alternatives to meeting the energy needs of the world.
Thus, several countries are already using nuclear technology for energy generation purposes and
many more are seeking to acquire it.

COMPLICATIONS ARISING FROM THE WIDESPREAD USE OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY

Considering the two side by side, we stumble upon a what-if scenario: What if a group of
terrorists get their hands on nuclear technology? How would they use it to their advantage?
It would not be difficult for a terrorist group, with enough expertise and resources, to enrich the
fissile material from a civilian nuclear power-plant to weapon-grade quality. The situation
becomes more volatile by the presence of declared nuclear weapons in countries like the USA,
UK, France, China, Russia, India and Pakistan. More pressing is the fact that USA, India and
Pakistan have been most heavily afflicted by terrorist attacks, and Pakistan is the so-called hub of
terrorism, waging a fierce battle against local terrorist organizations.

WHAT ARE TERRORISTS CAPABLE OF?

From the highly coordinated attacks on the twin towers and the sophistication of the terrorist
activities around the world, we can easily infer that terrorists are dedicated, single-minded people,
especially trained to coordinate and execute any operation on a large scale, and willing to go to
any lengths to have their demands and intentions known. Thus, they would be perfectly capable
of infiltrating any inadequately protected nuclear facility and gaining access to any nuclear
technology or fissile material they might require to wreak havoc on a global scale.
Thus, the need for curbing nuclear terrorism becomes all the more urgent, because the world
cannot afford another Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Even the mere thought of a nuke being dropped on
a populated metropolis is enough to persuade any government to give in to terrorist demands. All
this would have horrendous implications for global peace and security.

FOCUS OF THE COMMITTEE IN DEALING WITH THE THREAT:

Keeping all this in mind, this year in the IAEA we would seek to discuss ways in which both
civilian and military nuclear facilities may be protected from penetration by terrorist organizations.
At the same time we would also look towards monitoring all the traffic of fissile material on the
international level to ensure no external interference in the transfer of nuclear technology occurs.
It would also be imperative to discuss how to ensure that no black markets (exemplified by the
Khan Network, which transferred nuclear technology to Libya and Iran through illegal means)
develop which may provide a terrorist group with the technology that they request. Without
answering these fundamental questions, we cannot imagine a nuclear world without having to
worry about nuclear terrorism.

BLOC POSITIONS
Although the topic of nuclear terrorism is not single-country oriented entirely, some countries
would have more to do with it than the others. In particular, countries like Pakistan and India
would have to convince the global community that their nuclear assets are indeed in safe hands
and would not in any case, fall in the hands of non-state actors. Russia would also need to
implement stricter security on their nuclear facilities to ensure no thefts occur. Iran and Israel
would have to promote trust building measures and assure the international community that they
would not use their technology to assist any form of aggression against the other.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES:
http://www.iaea.org/
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Features/NuclearSecurity/terrorism.html
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/GlobalInitiative.html
http://terrorism.about.com/od/homelandsecurity/a/NuclearPrevent.htm
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=18912&Cr=IAEA&Cr1
http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/nuclear_nonproliferation
http://www.untreaty.un.org/english/terrorism/english_18_15.pdf

You may use the above sources and any other sources you can find to research on your topic
and help you clear out your country’s stance.