| The head of the International Atomic Energy | | | | realities. This group includes Tunisia, the United |
| Agency (IAEA), Mohamed El Baradei, warned | | | | Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Ghana, Indonesia, |
| recently that more than 30 countries could soon | | | | Jordan, Namibia, Moldova, Nigeria, Poland, Thailand, |
| have the technological know-how to produce | | | | Turkey, Vietnam, and Yemen. |
| nuclear weapons. As North Korea and Iran push | | | | Yemen is a known hotbed for terrorists, as is |
| forward with their atomic programs, it seems | | | | Algeria. Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, though |
| that going nuclear is becoming fashionable on the | | | | relatively friendly to the United States and the |
| international stage. | | | | west, are constantly fighting their own internal |
| There are currently five declared nuclear powers | | | | battles against Islamic fundamentalists. The |
| (the United States, France, Great Britain, Russia, | | | | potential for global nuclear proliferation has never |
| and China) and two other states known to have | | | | been greater, and the possibility of weapons of |
| nuclear weapons (India and Pakistan). Add in a | | | | mass destruction falling into the hands of radicals |
| couple of more countries suspected of having | | | | determined to employ them has never been |
| nukes (Israel and North Korea) and the total | | | | more real. |
| number of nations known or suspected to have | | | | The global community, under the auspices of the |
| nuclear weapons grows to nine. | | | | United Nations, has been completely ineffective at |
| The world community has long suspected, and | | | | dealing with nuclear programs in unstable countries. |
| probably rightly so, that Israel possesses an | | | | Negotiations over Iran's uranium enrichment |
| atomic weapons capability, a charge the Israeli | | | | activities are stalled as Russia and China try to |
| government consistently and adamantly denies. | | | | protect their business interests. The economic |
| North Korea, we now know, has the capability to | | | | sanctions resolution against North Korea was |
| at least test a nuclear device of some sort. But | | | | repeatedly reworded until it was weak enough to |
| whether or not the DPRK has the ability to | | | | satisfy the DPRK's main trading partner, China, |
| produce an actual atomic weapon, or the ability to | | | | and even then several nations decided to only |
| deliver a nuclear payload in an attack on another | | | | selectively enforce its provisions. |
| country, is a question still unanswered. | | | | The simple truth is that not every nation has an |
| According to El Baradei, many states are | | | | absolute right to nuclear technology. The |
| developing nuclear technology that is designed for | | | | consequences of nuclear abuse are too severe to |
| peaceful energy production. The problem, though, | | | | permit unchecked global proliferation. Until a nation |
| is that these programs could quickly and easily be | | | | has a stable government that demonstrates its |
| modified to develop atomic weapons. | | | | ability to be responsible in the international arena, |
| Iran and Brazil are known to be actively working | | | | and in its internal politics, it should be prevented |
| on uranium enrichment capability, and other | | | | from developing any atomic program, for energy |
| countries, including Australia, Argentina, and South | | | | or weapons production. |
| Africa are seriously considering programs of their | | | | It is absolutely critical for the world's major |
| own. | | | | powers to confront North Korea and Iran, and to |
| Thirteen more states either have the ability to | | | | do so immediately and effectively. Neither country |
| produce weapons grade uranium, could build the | | | | has demonstrated that it can be a responsible |
| technology to do so, or could use nuclear waste | | | | nuclear power, and neither country can be |
| for weapons: Japan, South Korea, Canada, | | | | counted on to refrain from providing other rogue |
| Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Taiwan, | | | | nations with nuclear technology. |
| Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and | | | | There is no question that Kim Jong-Il's |
| Lithuania. | | | | cash-starved government would sell nuclear |
| Four nations recently announced they were | | | | technology to any national government or |
| initiating nuclear programs (Algeria, Egypt, | | | | transnational group willing to pay for it. Such sales |
| Morocco, and Saudi Arabia) and fourteen more | | | | would provide the North Korean dictatorship with |
| have expressed an interest in doing so, either for | | | | the resources it needs to further insulate itself |
| energy production or in response to regional | | | | from a discontented population. |