Global Nuclear Security Policies

Catalog description

This course reviews the historical development and examines the current state of American and international policies and laws related to global nuclear security. U.S. policy has evolved over a period of more than sixty years since the Manhattan Project and has embraced the importance of both safeguards (applicable to weapons states and non-weapons states that commit to peaceful use of nuclear materials) and proliferation prevention (policies intended to deter and detect attempts to illicitly acquire nuclear weapons). Over this time improvements in technology have increased the potential for proliferation but have also increased the ability to detect proliferation. Recently, heightened danger of unauthorized proliferation by states and, more worrisome, transnational non-states, has led to increased emphasis on control and detection. Within this context students in this course will study U.S. national security strategy in the areas of counterterrorism and nonproliferation. We will discuss those policies aimed at enhancing nuclear security and examine the roles of various agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy (including the National Nuclear Security Administration), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Defense, and the Environmental Protection Agency. International treaties and conventions on nuclear safeguards, arms control, and terrorism will be covered. Regulations promulgated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency will also be studied. The course will consider how these policies are intended to control the actions of both state and non-state adversaries and applications to both government and private sector nuclear activities. The role of transnational and domestic groups will be discussed, especially with regard to motivation and potential capabilities.