NPT Conference Ends Without Promise

The 5 year NPT ended this week after a month of "talks" with no promise for a safer tomorrow, let alone a safer today.

Should we sleep less easily? Yes - this is not a good time for inaction on the nuclear front. In addition to what we know about Pyongyang's avowed nuclear weapons programme and Tehran's suspected one are the subliminal activities of terrorist groups and a clandestine trade in nuclear materials that may continue beyond the forced "retirement" of the chief black marketeer, A.Q. Khan of Pakistan.

Many governments will still say the chance of a nuclear weapon explosion remains very small. In this they are right, but were it to happen, they would be flat wrong to believe it would be anything but a mega-disaster. A nuclear bomb would surpass any known chemical and biological weapon in death and destruction, and if one was set off (though it might depend where) the panic effect on the world's governance and economy would be far greater than that of September 11 2001. [read more]

There is also a statement from President Sergio de Queiroz Duarte (Brazil) who ran the meeting.

"Conference President Sergio de Queiroz Duarte (Brazil) bluntly told reporters at his concluding press conference that "substantively –- in terms of results and agreements - very little had been accomplished."

Indeed. It is far too unclear as to what is where and who has what. How much money will a scientist for his soul sell? The old USSR has nuclear weapons missing. Where are they? Do you have them?

In the meantime, the IAEA will be continuing their (worthless) work. The Security Council, in the meantime, still has to deal with North Korea and Iran. Iran is in talks with the EU. You know, that bastion of courage that fought off Hitler...er...nevermind!

As for the terrorists, they will continue to look to see if they can find and acquire some of the missing Russian nuclear material. The world is certainly no safer because 188 countries sat down in New York for a month and failed to re-enforce non-proliferation. (See my earlier blog).

It appears that my prediction was correct: You cannot put 188 people with more than 188 agendas in a room and come up with a solution for the good of the whole, especially when the good is fighting the evil that is prevelant throughout the group.

Hat tip to Victor Comras at Counter Terrorism.