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• Perspectives
  • Cancel the Inauguration Parties and Increase Aid to Tsunami Victims by David Krieger
  • llusory Defenses by David Krieger

• Take Action
  • Join the Turn the Tide Campaign Action Alert Network
  • Enroll Your Mayor in the Abolition Now! Campaign
  • Support the Reconfirmation of IAEA Director Mohamed ElBaradei

• Non Proliferation
  • Iran OKs Access to Suspected Nuclear Site
  • IAEA Director General Proposes Global Freeze on Nuclear Cycle

• Proliferation
  • US Seeks to Defang NPT
  • IAEA Investigating Egyptian Nuclear Experiments
  • North Korea Demands Change in US Policy to Settle Nuclear Issue
  • India and Pakistan Swap List of Nuclear Facilities, Talks Fail to Reach Confidence Building Measures

• Nuclear Noteworthy
  • Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization Warned Indonesia and Thailand of Tsunamis
  • US Nuclear Submarine Runs Aground

• Foundation Activities
  • A Tribute to Harold Waterhouse
  • Robert Jay Lifton to Present Fourth Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity's Future
  • Foundation Announces 2005 Swackhamer Peace Essay Contest Guidelines

• Resources
  • The Road to Nuclear Security by Lawrence Korb
  • Top Ten War Profiteers of 2004
  • The US Air Force Transformation Flight Plan
  • Neo-conservatism and US Foreign Policy - Part III

• Quotable
  • Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
  • Representative David Hobson
  • US Representatives Tauscher, Spratt, Meehan and Edwards
  • Kim Jong Il
  • Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdel Rahman Attiya
  • Paul Martin, Canadian Prime Minister
  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
  • Lord Hoffman of The United Kingdom's Highest Court
  • Iraqi Head of National Intelligence General Mohamed Abdullah Shahwani
  • President Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • 12 Retired Professional US Military Leaders

• Editorial Team
  • Luke Brothers
  • David Krieger
  • Carah Ong

Cancel the Inauguration Parties and Increase Aid to Tsunami Victims | Top
by David Krieger

There has been a tragedy in the family, the human family.  Watching and reading about the victims of the tsunami in South Asia , one feels enormous shock at the magnitude of the human loss.  The number of victims continues to rise and there is fear that widespread disease will follow in the wake of the disaster taking many more lives.  Confronted by the worst natural disaster in memory, people throughout the world are rallying to aid the victims. 

After being shamed by its earlier offering of $35 million, the United States has pledged $350 million in aid.  President Bush has ordered US flags lowered to half-mast for the victims of the tragedy and has asked American citizens to join in contributing to a broad humanitarian relief effort. He has enlisted two former presidents, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, to head up efforts to solicit private funds towards this goal.  "I ask every American," he said, "to contribute as they are able to do so."  This is certainly a laudable call, but falls short of the contribution we could be making as a country.

There is a very big party, or series of parties, scheduled for January 20th for the second inauguration of George W. Bush as president of the United States .  Some $40 million in private funds is being raised for this gala inauguration.  The upper price for tickets is $250,000 each and includes lunch with the President and Vice President.  Security for the events will also cost millions.

While still in the midst of the devastating tragedy in South Asia, not to mention the 150,000 American troops in combat in Iraq, it seems terribly wrong to move forward with such a gala public celebration.  Americans should refrain from national partying while the verdict is still out on what more can be done to aid the millions of victims of the tsunami disaster.  There is precedent for this in the fourth inaugural of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose January 1945 inauguration during World War II was described as "simple and austere with no fanfare or formal celebration following the event."  There was also no parade due to gas rationing.  

Tragedies such as the one that has been unfolding in South Asia remind us that we are all part of the human family.  When one part of the family suffers, we all share in the pain.  Reports tell us that more than 150,000 people, including 50,000 children, have already died as a result of this disaster.  These are our fellow humans.  These are our children.  Can we not imagine, even feel the grief of their loved ones?

We are reminded that we are one world and one human family.  The tragedy is not over there.  It is everywhere.  It is not their tragedy.  It is our shared tragedy. 

Illusory Defenses | Top
by David Krieger

On December 10th, United Nations Human Rights Day and the day the Nobel Prizes are presented, the US deployed its first missile defense interceptor in the continental United States at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County .  Only five days after this interceptor was placed in its retrofitted silo, the first test of a missile defense interceptor in over two years failed dramatically.  The defensive missile failed even to launch in what a spokesperson for the Missile Defense Agency described as "an unknown anomaly."  This failed test cost taxpayers $85 million.

Although the missile defense program has already cost over $100 billion and will cost more than $50 billion over the next five years, most experts off the Pentagon's payroll believe the system is unlikely to ever be successful in knocking down incoming missiles.  In March 2004, forty-nine retired US generals and admirals, including former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William Crowe, wrote to President Bush urging that he "postpone operational deployment of the expensive and untested" system.

Among the reasons cited by opponents of missile defenses is the ease with which the system can be overcome by improvements in offensive capabilities.  One could say that our missile defense system has been a brilliant strategy for causing Russia and China to improve their offensive nuclear capabilities to overcome our defenses even though it is highly unlikely that the system will ever work. 

Instead of pursuing illusory defenses based on a largely untested missile defense system, we might do far more to further our security by turning our attention to diplomacy, international cooperation, and preventing further acts of terrorism by protecting our ports and other points of entry into the country.  It is far more likely that nuclear weapons would enter the country in a container by ship or truck than on a missile. 

Join the Turn the Tide Campaign Action Alert Network | Top

Join the Turn the Tide Campaign and take action to help chart a new course for US nuclear policy. When you join, you will receive periodic action alerts on US nuclear policy issues. Help us spread the word! Tell your friends about Turn the Tide and encourage them to join as well. For more information and to join, please visit http://www.wagingpeace.org/menu/action/index.htm

Enroll Your Mayor in the Abolition Now! Campaign | Top

The year 2005 marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Nuclear Age and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Plans are underway to mark the occasion with a global effort to create a nuclear-free world. The Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagaski have organized the Mayors for Peace Emergency Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons and are enrolling Mayors all over the world to join the call for negotiations to begin in 2005 on a treaty for the total elimination of nuclear weapons by the year 2020.

Abolition 2000, a network in over 90 countries, has launched a global Campaign called "Abolition Now!" to urge people all over the world to enroll their Mayors and petition their Heads of State to come to the Non-Proliferation Treaty Conference (NPT) at the United Nations in May with their plans for nuclear disarmament. On 2 December 2004, the US anti-war coalition United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) teamed up with Abolition Now! to announce their plans for a massive demonstration in New York's Central Park on 1 May 2005, the day before government officials begin the month-long conference to review the future of the NPT.

"Until there is more than a vague commitment to do the planning necessary to eliminate nuclear weapons, all our efforts at non-proliferation will be seen as simply reinforcing a global double-standard," said Aaron Tovish, who manages the Mayor's for Peace Campaign. Already, over 600 mayors - including more than 60 from the US - have joined the Campaign, which hopes to enroll 1,000 mayors by May and bring a large delegation of mayors to the NPT conference.

As long as the United States continues to build new nuclear weapons and modernize its lethal arsenal, the world will continue to face increasing nuclear proliferation threats and a state of constant war between the nuclear haves and have-nots. To end nuclear proliferation and the nuclear threat, all countries must plan for nuclear disarmament now!

Support the Reconfirmation of IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei | Top

Write a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors to support the reconfirmation of Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei as Director General.

The Bush Administration is mad at Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, the Director General of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). And, so, in typical Bush administration fashion, it is now seeking to change the rules in order to prevent Dr. ElBaradei from standing for reelection.

Elections are generally a straightforward process. According to IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky, candidates for Director General in this election cycle are scheduled to be approved at the IAEA board meeting in June 2005. This would be followed by an election by the general conference in September.

Even though no new nominations for Director General were received by the deadline, which was 31 December 2005, the US has made it clear it doesn't want the current chief, Dr. ElBaradei, to stand for a third term. The US , joined by a few other western nations, has called for a two-term limit for UN officials. However, former Director General Hans Blix served four terms and before him, Sigvard Eklund served five terms.

Countries on the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors will attempt to reach a common position before deciding whether to reelect Dr. ElBaradei. Diplomats report this could take several months given Washington 's opposition to Dr. ElBaradei.

Recently, the Washington Post and New York Times revealed that the US tapped Director General ElBaradei's phone in order to intercept conversations he had with Iranian diplomats. The intercepts produced no evidence of inappropriate conduct. However, they do reveal the lengths to which some in the Bush Administration have gone to try to replace the 62 year-old Egyptian lawyer.

The Bush crowd has a long history of dissatisfaction with ElBaradei. It began with his refusal to back US allegations that Saddam Hussein had revived his clandestine nuclear bomb program. Recently, the US advocated that the UN Security Council impose sanctions on Iran because of suspected nuclear weapons development activities. Instead, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution on the implementation of an agency safeguards agreement with Iran , based on a detailed report by Director General ElBaradei.

It is likely that Dr. ElBaradei most egregiously irked the Bush Administration when he made pointed references to the nuclear weapons states' hypocritical policies. For example, Dr. ElBaradei has stated, "We must abandon the unworkable notion that it is morally reprehensible for some countries to pursue weapons of mass destruction yet morally acceptable for others to rely on them for security and indeed to continue to refine their capacities and postulate plans for their use."

Many non-governmental organizations in the disarmament field, including Tri-Valley CAREs and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, educate disarmament staff at the UN about US nuclear weapons activities. In doing this, we challenge the same double standards that Director General ElBaradei has addressed.

In addition, we find that Dr. ElBaradei's experience and expertise reinforce his ability to stand by UN findings in the face of tremendous political pressure. He has served two decades in high-level positions at the IAEA, and his diplomatic service and work in fields of international law spans four decades.

It will take at least 12 members of the 35-member Board of Governors to block Dr. ElBaradei's reconfirmation. Write to the IAEA Board of Governors now and tell them you support the reconfirmation of Dr. ElBaradei as Director General.

Support the reconfirmation of Dr. ElBaradei by sending letters to key governors on the IAEA board. Click here to take action directly through the Turn the Tide Campaign website.

If you live outside the US or you would like to fax a letter to all 35 governors of the IAEA Board of Governors, click here.

Iran OKs Access to Suspected Nuclear Site | Top

On 5 January, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei announced that Iran has agreed to grant access to a military site that the US links to a secret nuclear weapons program. Dr. ElBaradei said the first UN inspectors could arrive at the Parchin military complex, used by the Iranians to research, develop and produce ammunition, missiles and high explosives "within days or weeks." The IAEA has been pressing Iran to inspect the Parchin military complex for months.

In leaks to media last year, US intelligence officials charged that a specially secured site on the Parchin complex, 20 miles southeast of Tehran , may be used in research on making high-explosive components for use in nuclear weapons. An IAEA report in October 2004 expressed concern about published intelligence and media reports "relating to dual-use equipment and materials which have applications ... in the nuclear military area."

Iran has been the main focus of the IAEA since mid-2002, after revelations of two secret nuclear facilities - a uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and a heavy water production plant near Arak . Insisting that Iran has violated the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the US has repeatedly urged the IAEA Board of Governors to ask the UN Security Council to take the country to task. Senior US officials have blamed Dr. ElBaradei for the Board of Governor's refusal to do so, suggesting he is too soft on Iran and that they will fight his efforts to gain re-election this year for a third term as head of the IAEA.

As part of US efforts to oust Dr. ElBaradei, his telephone conversations were bugged in what media recently reported were attempts to prove favoritism toward Iran . Dr. Elbaradei criticized the US for bugging his phone conversations, saying any such action "interferes with my basic human right to privacy - but more importantly it interferes in our ability to work in an independent manner."

The IAEA continues to monitor an Iranian agreement reached in November 2004 with France , Germany and the UK to suspend its uranium enrichment activities that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Although that agreement has not yet been violated, some western diplomats have charged that Iran is still turning tons of raw uranium into uranium metal and has said it would continue to do so until February, exploiting a loophole in its deal with the Europeans. The metal is a precursor of uranium hexafluoride - a substance that can then be used to produce weapons-grade uranium.

On 7 January 2005, International Atomic Energy Director Mohamed ElBaradei proposed that all countries lead by example by committing not to build facilities for uranium enrichment and nuclear reprocessing for five years. Dr. ElBaradei said that a global freeze on uranium enrichment and nuclear reprocessing would be discussed at the Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in May.

Dr. ElBaradei said such a moratorium would have value as it would place "some limitation on the right of every country to develop a full (nuclear) fuel cycle." He said a global freeze could last for five years or "until we have completed our work on how we can have an international arrangement for the fuel cycle. We have enough capacity in the world for enrichment or reprocessing."

Dr. ElBaradei also stated, "We should not forget the commitment by the weapons states to move toward nuclear disarmament."

US Seeks to Defang NPT | Top

According to US government and congressional sources, the US plans to suggest that the 2005 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) should invalidate the 13 Practical Steps final document adopted by consensus at a 2000 meeting in which the five declared nuclear weapons states, including the US, committed to an "unequivocal undertaking" to pursue complete nuclear disarmament. Such an attempt could be interpreted by non-nuclear weapons states as a US move to renege its commitment to nuclear disarmament. The move could also further jeopardize the nonproliferation regime by possibly prompting countries such as North Korea and Iran to accelerate their nuclear weapons development.

A US government official described the final document as a "simply historical document" and pointed out the need to adopt a new document reflecting drastic changes in international security conditions, including the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. According to the official, "We think the international situation with regard to nonproliferation has changed so radically that the review conference should not be looking backward at the past final document."

The official also said the Bush administration "no longer supports all of the 13 steps" because some aspects of those steps are outdated. For example, the 13 Practical Steps called for strengthening the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, which barred the US and Russia from deploying full-scale national missile defense systems. However, the US withdrew from the ABM treaty in 2002.

"There is no such thing as implementing the 13 steps," the official said, adding that the Bush administration does not see the final document to the 2000 NPT Review Conference as "being a road map or binding guideline or anything like that." According the official, "We need to be pursuing a new document that reflects what has happened over the last five years."

In addition, a congressional source said that an article in the NPT which requires the nuclear weapons states to make a serious commitment to nuclear disarmament was created against the backdrop of a nuclear arms race between the US and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War. The congressional source said that the US does not intend to make the 13 Practical Steps a precondition for negotiations at the 2005 Review Conference and that those measures will not become a real issue at the meeting.

Thomas Graham, former special representative of the US president for arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament, said he believes the US delegation at the 2005 NPT Review Conference "would be under very firm instructions not to agree to" the point of an "unequivocal undertaking" for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, despite the fact that the US delegation agreed to it in the final document of the 2000 Review Conference. Graham stated, "If the US is not going to observe its commitment, then the treaty becomes politically unbalanced."

IAEA Investigating Egyptian Nuclear Experiments | Top

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is investigating Egypt for small, undeclared nuclear experiments that could be related to nuclear weapons development.

According to one diplomat, the experiments involved making uranium metal and carrying out the first steps of uranium enrichment by making uranium tetrafluoride (UF4). However, another diplomat close to the IAEA said that no uranium was actually enriched. According to the second source, the experiments were "small stuff, nothing, and goes back in history all the way to the 1950s." He added, "These are small sporadic experiments that have been done over the years. This is not Iran, this is not South Korea."

Most of the experiments were allegedly done before 1982, when Egypt signed a safeguards agreement with the IAEA, opening itself from that point on to inspections. The IAEA was tipped off by articles published by Egyptian scientists and has been investigating Egypt intensively since last summer. The IAEA is currently evaluating samples gathered in Egypt in December 2004 and should be able to reveal more in about two weeks. According to the diplomat, the Egyptians have not tried to hide what they did and are cooperating.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit swiftly denied that his country had done anything counter to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and said the accusations were "baseless."

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBAradei refused to comment on Egypt . However, he did say, "I can't really speak on any specific country other than to tell you that because of the strengthening of safeguards we have seen failures in certain countries to report certain activities. This is something we are going systematically through in many places to make sure that every ounce of nuclear material has been reported adequately. We are applying the same absolute standard of professionalism everywhere without distinction. Should we discover at any time that there is a proliferation concern or implications of a weapon program we will obviously promptly report this to the [IAEA] board [of governors]."

North Korea Demands Change in US Policy to Settle Nuclear Issue | Top

On 8 January, North Korea said there won't be progress in international efforts to settle the issue of nuclear proliferation on the Korean peninsula unless the US changes its "hostile policy" toward the country. The Korean Central News Agency reported North Korea 's statement, "It is our consistent stand to denuclearize the peninsula and seek a negotiated settlement of the issue. It is entirely due to the US that the six-party talks have not been resumed and the solution of the nuclear issue is delayed."

A fourth round of six-party talks between China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, and the US aimed at negotiating an end to North Korea's nuclear weapons program failed to take place as scheduled in September 2004. North Korea said it wouldn't rejoin the talks until the US drops its "hostile attitude" and offers economic incentives. The US has said North Korea must abandon its nuclear program before progress can be made.

North Korea's most recent statement, which repeats its earlier stance, came as Tom Lantos, a Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, flew to Pyongyang from Beijing to discuss nuclear weapons and human rights issues. Lantos' four-day trip comes ahead of a planned separate visit by a bipartisan delegation of six US lawmakers. The legislators, led by Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pennsylvania) are scheduled to arrive in North Korea on 11 January.

Source: Bloomberg.com, 9 January 2005.

India and Pakistan Swap List of Nuclear Facilities, Talks Fail to Reach Confidence Building Measures | Top

Under an agreement which entered into force in 1991 on the prohibition of attacks on each other's nuclear installations, India and Pakistan exchanged lists of their nuclear facilities on New Year's Day.

Under the agreement both India and Pakistan are to refrain from attacking each other's nuclear facilities in the event of a war. The two countries exchange information annually on the first day of the year and the first such exchange was done on 1 January 1992.

In related news, India and Pakistan held inconclusive talks on ways to reduce the risk of nuclear war between the countries. A draft agreement on advance warning of ballistic missile tests was one of the key topics of the talks between top foreign ministry officials. Although the two countries normally inform each other when holding missile tests, no formal deal was signed. According to officials, the two countries will meet again at a later date.

The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) in India, expressed disappointment at the failure of the talks between India and Pakistan to come up with meaningful nuclear confidence-building measures (CBMs). Although CBMs are no substitute for nuclear disarmament, they can, when intelligently conceived and sensibly applied, provide a safer environment.

The CNDP calls on both governments to rapidly move towards nuclear CBMs, including:

1. Separating warheads from all delivery systems and making such procedures transparent and verifiable.
2. Establishing non-deployment of nuclear capable delivery systems on both sides of the border zone.
3. A permanent bilateral test ban pact.
4. Establishing joint teams of Indian and Pakistani scientific personnel to periodically visit nuclear-related facilities in both countries.

However, if both countries continue to buy and produce more conventional armaments, bilateral tensions and mistrust will remain. Similarly, India and Pakistan must take serious steps toward resolving the dispute over Kashmir as it remains a "nuclear flashpoint."

Sources: AFP, 2 January 2005; CNDP News Release, 16 December 2004.

US Missile Defense Misses Deadline, Fails Test | Top

US plans to declare its national missile defense system operational were delayed in December 2004, missing the Bush administration's deadline. According to the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the system is not expected to be activated until sometime in January 2005.

The announcement regarding the delay came just two days after an interceptor test failed. Unsurprisingly, US Northern Command spokesman Michael Kucharek was quick to say that the test failure was not the reason for the delay. Rather, he said, military commanders are still conducting exercises and demonstrations to make sure the system's elements are functioning and are integrated.

In the failed test, an "unknown anomaly" led to an automatic shutdown of an experimental interceptor missile on 15 December before it was to launch. According to MDA spokesman, Rick Lehner, the agency is investigating the failure and contractors developing the ground-based aspect of the system.

In previous testing, which were highly scripted, missile interceptors only hit five out of eight target missiles.

According to Philip Coyle, former chief of testing for the Pentagon and an outspoken critic of the multibillion-dollar system, the missed activation deadline is no surprise. He said tests are conducted from coastal platforms in highly controlled settings, using information "no enemy would ever give you." Coyle also said that satellite tracking systems and other crucial equipment are years away from reality.

In related news, on 14 December, the Boeing Co.'s Integrated Defense Systems unit was awarded a $928 million contract from the MDA to provide services for missile defense. Work will be done in Huntsville, Alabama through 2007.

In another new development related to US missile defense, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin said on 14 December that he does not believe the US ballistic missile shield will succeed in shooting down incoming missiles. He also added new roadblocks to counter President George W. Bush's strong appeal for Canada to join US missile defense plans. Canada will not put any money into building the missile shield and it will not allow the US to station interceptors on Canadian soil as the price of participation in the multibillion-dollar program.

Source: AP, 19 December 2004; Windsor Star, 15 December 2004; Biz Journal, 14 December 2004.

Japan, US Sign Missile Defense Agreement | Top

On 17 December, Japan and the US signed an agreement for cooperation on the development of a ballistic missile defense system. The deal to cooperate on research, development, deployment and operations of missile defense came one week after Japan eased the way by lifting a blanket ban on arms exports. Joint production will require Japan to export components to the US.

Japan and the US began joint research on missile defense shortly after North Korea test-fired a missile that passed over Japan in 1998. In addition, last year, Japan decided to buy an Aegis missile defense system from the US , including SM-3 missiles for its Kongo-class Aegis destroyers . According to officials, the system, is scheduled to be partially deployed in 2007 and fully operational by 2011 and will cost up to one trillion yen ($9.56 billion) over the next 10 years.

Source: Reuters, 17 December 2004.

Bush Nominates Industry Outsider as Department of Energy Secretary | Top

On 10 December 2004, President George W. Bush nominated Samuel W. Bodman to replace outgoing Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. Bodman currently serves as Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, a position held since 12 February 2004. Bodman previously served as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce beginning in 2001.

Bodman's nomination is under scrutiny in a time of heightened debate over Yucca Mountain and nuclear weapons proliferation. The lion's share of the Department of Energy's (DoE) budget goes towards researching, developing, building and maintaining the US nuclear weapons arsenal, in addition to managing waste from the nation's nuclear industry. Bodman is neither an energy specialist, nor a nuclear weapons expert. His nomination has led many to conclude that the White House is tightening its grip on policy-making. Representative Shelly Berkley (D-Nevada) said the White House is "interested in appointing rubber stamps who will carry out policy."

Bodman graduated from Cornell University with a degree in chemical engineering. Four years later, he completed his Science Doctorate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Bodman's professional experience includes more than 30 years experience in the private sector in the finance industry and as a professor at MIT.

Sources: Washington Post, 10 December 2004; Las Vegas Review Journal, 11 December 2004; US Department of Commerce; US Department of the Treasury.

Federal Battle in Hanford Waste Cleanup | Top

A federal judge imposed a temporary stay of Washington State 's Initiative 297 on 2 December 2004, just one month after the initiative won overwhelming support by Washington voters on Election Day. Initiative 297 prevents the Department of Energy (DoE) from sending radioactive waste to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in the southern part of Washington state until current waste at the former nuclear weapons facility is fully cleaned up.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has challenged Initiative 297 on the grounds that Hanford is a federal site and immune from state regulation. Federal officials argue that Initiative 297 violates interstate commerce and nuclear waste laws by supplementing federal law with state law. Additionally, federal attorneys want to overrule the initiative because many projects at the Hanford site will be slowed or stopped altogether if Initiative 297 is implemented.

State officials defending Initiative 297 argue that the stay is unnecessary and deny federal accusations that the initiative violates interstate commerce laws.

In other Hanford news, a $1.4 billion waste disposal project received the green light to begin testing waste vitrification methods. Up to 300,000 gallons of the 53 million gallons of low-level radioactive and chemical waste at Hanford will be vitrified as part of a project to explore waste management solutions. The Department of Energy issued the permit on 13 December 2004 to the Hanford site to operate a full-scale bulk vitrification pilot plant for up to 400 days.

More than 10,000 people work at the Hanford site, the most contaminated site in the US . Cleanup costs are estimated to total between $50 and $60 billion.

Sources: Associated Press, 3 & 13 December 2004; Tri-City Herald, 14 December 2004.

Brazil, IAEA Reach Agreement | Top

Disagreements over Brazil 's Resende uranium-enrichment plant are coming to a close. Brazil insisted on limiting International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections to protect sensitive technological and commercial interests. The IAEA demanded sufficient access to all corners of the Resende plant.

On 25 November 2004 IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei met with reporters and stated, "(The IAEA) have been able to reach an agreement in principle with the Brazilian government." ElBaradei explained that the agreement will allow the IAEA "to do credible inspections but at the same time take care of Brazil 's need to protect commercial sensitivity inside the facility."

The agreement will signal the Brazilian fulfillment of international safeguards conditions and welcome the start of full-scale operations at the Resende plant.

For more information on the Resende plant and the sequence of negotiations between the IAEA and Brazil see The Sunflower May 2004, The Sunflower Octoboer 2004.

Sources: Arms Control Association, 17 December 2004; International Atomic Energy Agency.

Russia May Build Seven More Nuclear Plants in Iran | Top

On 18 December 2004, the head of the Russian Federation 's Atomic Energy Agency Alexander Rumyantsev said that Russia may construct seven other nuclear power plants in Iran . Speaking to Ria-Novosti news agency, he said the total cost of the projected power plants has been estimated at $10 billion.

Iranian officials are currently studying the issue with Russia as well as some other countries. According to Rumyantsev, "We believe that Iran needs such nuclear capabilities for peaceful application of nuclear technology."

Russia is currently constructing the first phase of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran , valued at over $800 million. The Russian nuclear technicians are now preparing themselves for the implementation of the project in Iran . Bushehr nuclear power plant is scheduled to become operational by 2006.

Poland's First Nuclear Power Plant Expected in 2023 | Top

In order to meet energy demands and strict requirements on greenhouse gas emissions, Poland announced in December 2004 that it will construct its first nuclear power plant by the year 2023.

According to Poland 's Deputy Economy Minister, Jacek Piechota, strict environmental regulations are forcing Poland into the position to construct the nuclear plant. Piechota says, "The priority for the next 15 years will be to develop renewable energy resources; wind power, biomass and hydro-electric power. But these resources will not suffice."

Radioactive Spill at Troubled Czech Nuclear Plant | Top

In the latest incident at the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic , more than 5,000 gallons of radioactive water was found leaking from the reactor in December 2004. Czech officials deny that the spill posed any environmental risk or that it endangered workers' health.

In June 2004, the Temelin nuclear power plant experienced similar problems and leaked almost 800 gallons of radioactive water. The Temelin plant is a combination of Soviet and western engineering. Neighboring nuclear-free Austria has been advocating for the closure of the plant, which is located 40 miles from the border of the two countries.

Italian Waste to be Exported to UK | Top

More than 230 tons of spent fuel and radioactive waste will be shipped from Italy to the UK for reprocessing and storage if an agreement is finalized between the two governments. The contract to reprocess and store the waste and spent fuel is valued at more than $375 million. Before January 2005, this contract was not possible because the UK 's Department of Trade and Industry demanded that reprocessed waste be returned to the country of origin, prohibiting storage within the UK .

A vocal Italian populace can take credit for expelling nuclear power and waste from their own backyard. Italian civil society demonstrated powerfully against the storage of nuclear waste making it impossible to store waste within the country's borders. Italy operated four nuclear power plants until 1978, when the first was shut down. The three remaining were shut down in 1987, following the Chernobyl disaster.

Sources: Indo-Asian News Service, 19 December 2004; The Guardian, 5 January 2005.

$21 Million awarded to Universities for DoE Nuclear Research | Top

35 research awards, totaling some $21 million, were doled out 23 December 2004 to US universities as part of advanced nuclear energy research. The funds will be shared by 25 universities to aid in research of the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative, the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Initiative and the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative.

The Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative aims to reduce the toxicity and volume of spent fuel by extracting greater amounts of uranium during the fuel cycle and transmuting the fuel into lower-level waste. Research into the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Initiative will focus on improvements in safety, reliability and sustainability of current reactors. The goal of the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative is to demonstrate the feasibility of commercial scale production of hydrogen using the heat of a thermonuclear reactor.

Outgoing Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham says the initiatives "could pave the way to an economy that relies less on imported fossil rules and will allow the nation to meet its long-term environmental goals."

The initiative's opponents are not convinced nuclear power will contribute to a secure energy future or a clean environment.

Leak Forces Nuclear Reactor to Close Early for Repairs | Top

A leak at the Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant is prompting the Tennessee Valley Authority to shut the reactor down for repairs sooner than planned. According to TVA spokesman John Moulton, about 2 gallons of radioactive water leak each day inside one of the four steam generators at the plant. The water is contained within the generator, which is designed to transfer heat from the nuclear reactor to create steam to generate electricity.

Mike Marshall, the section chief for the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions projects division stated, "TVA is monitoring the leak and any radiation it may cause. It is well below the allowable limits." To plug the leak, TVA will stop power generation at the plant in late winter, rather than in the spring as planned originally.

TVA plans to spend more than $300 million to replace the steam generators at the Watts Bar plant in fall 2006. TVA ran into similar problems with the steam generators at one of its two reactors at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant near Soddy-Daisy two years ago.

Utilities across the nation are being forced to replace these expensive pieces of equipment at pressurized water reactors like Watts Bar because of leaking tubes that affect power generation.

The $7 billion Watts Bar nuclear station is only eight years into a licensed 40-year lifetime.

In related news, one of two units at a Southeast Georgia nuclear plant was shut down because of a water leak in a drywell on 4 January 2005. Southern Nuclear, a unit of Southern Co. which operates the station for Georgia Power, said workers manually shut a 924-megawatt unit at the Edwin I. Hatch plant in Appling County to repair the leak. A second 924-megawatt unit continued to operate at full power.

Roger Hannah, a regional spokesman for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission stated, "It's not a major safety issue because it was in the drywell, which is protected from the outside."

Southern Nuclear did not say when the unit would return to service because they still were looking for the source of the leak.

Libyan Leader Says Country's Decision to Drop Nuclear Weapons Program was Pro-Bush | Top

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi says Libya 's decision to abandon its nuclear weapons program helped US President George W. Bush get re-elected.

In an interview airing Friday on Italy 's RAI TV, Ghadafi said the US presidential election was America 's way of rewarding Tripoli for renouncing the nuclear program.

Libya renounced its nuclear weapons program last year, a turnaround that ended Libya 's international isolation. In turn, the US lifted most of its commercial sanctions, as did the European Union (EU). The EU also eased an arms embargo.

In the rare interview, Gadhafi said his decision to abandon weapons of mass destruction was a gesture toward President Bush. "It was Mr. Bush who promised to reward Libya if we got rid of this program," he said. "The withdrawal of this program was pro-Mr. Bush."

Iran Charges Ten with Nuclear Espionage | Top

Iranian Intelligence Minsiter Ali Yunesi announced on 22 December that Iran arrested ten people on charges of revealing its nuclear secrets to Israeli and US intelligence agencies. Yunesi said the 10 were detained in Tehran and in the southern Hormozgan province during the Iranian year that began March 21.

Yunesi said the identity of those detained will not be revealed before they stand trial, however he did say that three of them were employees of Iran 's Atomic Energy Organization and the rest were not government employees. All the detainees are now in the hands of the hard-line Revolutionary Court , which deals with security crimes.

Earlier in December, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry said it had arrested a spy who had been pretending to work on nuclear centrifuges to cast doubt on Iran 's recent agreements to suspend such work.

Source: AP, 22 December 2004.

Israeli News Station Shows Propaganda Video of the Country's Top Secret Nuclear Facility | Top

On 7 January, an Israeli television station broadcast a video of Israel 's top secret nuclear facility in the southern town of Dimona - the first detailed video of the site ever shown to the public. The Israeli nuclear reactor at Dimona in the Negev desert is one of the most sensitive sites in Israel , and any photography is forbidden. Shiloh Debeer, head of news at Channel 10 television, which broadcast the video, would not say how it was obtained. However, Israel 's normally cautious military censor approved its release, which may suggest that the video was produced in cooperation with Israel 's top secret nuclear agency. Israel maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity about its nuclear program, neither confirming nor denying that it has nuclear weapons. It claims that the Dimona reactor is used only for peaceful purposes.

In 1986 former technician Mordechai Vanunu gave information and pictures of the Dimona facility to London 's Sunday Times. On the basis of his revelations, experts concluded that Israel has the world's sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, consisting of hundreds of warheads.

Vanunu was released last year after serving 18 years in prison for treason and espionage.

The 14-minute video depicted a pastoral setting of well-manicured lawns and palm trees, swaying gently in a light desert breeze. The reactor dome loomed in the background, flanked by a three-story building. Previous footage of the site lasted only seconds and had been limited to long-distance shots showing only the outline of the reactor building. The Channel 10 video offered no close-ups of the Dimona nuclear reactor or interviews with officials about the facility. It concentrated on wide-angle shots including buses bringing staff to the site, well-ordered lines waiting to use a cash machine and a leisurely soccer game nearby. Repeated glimpses of a brilliantly landscaped garden underscored the image of a laconic and pastoral setting.

Israel has been criticized by Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries for failing to rid itself of its nuclear arsenal. In a blatant show of hypocrisy, Israel has stepped up a campaign in recent months to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, encouraging UN sanctions against the country.

Source: AP, 7 January 2005.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization Warned Indonesia and Thailand of Tsunamis | Top

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) said that Indonesia and Thailand both were warned almost immediately of the massive undersea earthquake on 26 December 2004 that sparked deadly tsunamis across the Indian Ocean . According to CTBTO spokesman Bernhard Wrabetz, "The raw data from our sensors was transmitted in the moments that followed the earthquake to a number of national centers, including those of Indonesia and Thailand . But it is not known what those centers did with the data, which can only be interpreted by specialists."

The Vienna-based CTBTO has a network of sensors across the world, which were set up to detect any nuclear tests that violate the treaty, but they also monitor natural seismic activity.

"Our mission is not to detect earthquakes and tsunamis, but we want to adapt our system so that it can also function to this end," with a specific alert capacity, Wrabetz added.

The giant waves sparked by the quake off Sumatra hit Indonesia within 30 minutes and Thailand half an hour later, killing more than 90,000 and more than 5,000 people, respectively in those coutnries. The failure to give a warning sparked a row in Thailand , where many foreign tourists were among the victims. The Thai government has announced that it would set up an inquiry into why the public was not alerted.

Source: AFP, 6 January 2005.

US Nuclear Submarine Runs Aground | Top

On 8 January, a US nuclear submarine, the USS San Francisco, ran aground as it was headed back to its home port in Guam . According to the US Navy, a sailor injured aboard the submarine died on 9 January 2005 and twenty-three other crew members are being treated for injuries. Lt. j.g. Adam Clampitt of the Pacific Fleet offered condolences on 9 January, saying "anytime we lose a shipmate, it's a loss to the Navy."

Officials said there was no information on what the submarine struck, but Clampitt said the submarine had been conducting submerged operations. According to the Navy, there were no reports of damage to the submarine's nuclear reactor, which was operating normally. The extent of the damage will not be known until the vessel arrives in Guam , but the incident is being investigated.

Navy and Coast Guard aircraft from Guam were sent to monitor the submarine and assist if needed. The sub has a crew of 137.

Source: AP, 9 January 2005.

A Tribute to Harold Waterhouse | Top

Harold Waterhouse was a lifelong activist for nuclear disarmament and an active member of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. He died at the age of 94 on 27 December 2004. Harold believed that a dramatization of the deaths and suffering caused by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs was needed to awaken Americans to the need for nuclear disarmament. He drafted and distributed many treatments of a screenplay and tried his best to generate support for this idea, which became central to his life's work. He was also a prolific letter writer for peace, justice and nuclear disarmament. Harold lived in Pacific Palisades and helped form Palisadians for Peace. His passion for peace grew from his experience as a soldier in World War II and from his recognition that nuclear weapons posed a threat to all life on earth. Harold is survived by his wife, Edith, and his son, Ted. His energy and passion for peace will be deeply missed.

Robert Jay Lifton to Present Fourth Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity's Future | Top

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is pleased to announce that Professor Robert Jay Lifton will present the Fourth Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity's. The event will take place on Wednesday, 16 February 2005 at 8 pm in the Corwin Pavilion at the University of California at Santa Barbara . Professor Lifton will speak on " America and the Human Future - Surviving Vietnam, 9/11 and Iraq."

Robert Jay Lifton is a lecturer in Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Health Alliance, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychology at the City University of New York. He was formerly Director of The Center on Violence and Human Survival at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He previously taught psychiatry at Yale University for more than two decades. The overall themes of Professor Lifton's work have been holocaust and transformation. He has studied many of the most destructive events of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and has played an important role in the development of the field of psychohistory.

On 17 February, Professor Lifton will speak on a panel with Professor Richard Falk and Foundation President David Krieger entitled, "The Meaning of Hiroshima: Perspectives in the 60 th Year of the Nuclear Age." The panel will take place at Santa Barbara City College from 2 pm until 4 pm and will be moderated by Peter Hasland.

Foundation Announces 2005 Swackhamer Peace Essay Contest Guidelines | Top

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is pleased to announce the 2005 Swackhamer Peace Essay Contest guidelines. The topic for 2005 is:

"Our vision is a world at peace, free from the threat of war and free of weapons of mass destruction. Translate this vision into an action plan that you can implement in your community or on your campus.  Write a proposal for a youth-led event, campaign, or project that educates members of your community and/or other students concerning the continuing threat of nuclear weapons and the need for nuclear disarmament."

The top three winners will each receive a $1,000 award to implement their proposal. In total, $3,000 in prizes will be awarded.  The contest is open to all high school students throughout the world. Applicants must be enrolled in the Fall 2004 through Spring 2005 academic year. To view the complete set of rules and guidelines, please visit the Foundation's website at: http://www.wagingpeace.org/menu/programs/awards-&-contests/swack-contest/index.htm.

The Road to Nuclear Security by Lawrence Korb | Top

The Road to Nuclear Security is an examination of US and NATO nuclear policy. The report includes a review of current US nuclear posture, an analysis of crucial problem areas, and proposes solutions to these problems areas.

The complete report is available as a PDF document at: http://www.americanprogress.org/atf/cf/{E9245FE4-9A2B-43C7-A521-5D6FF2E06E03}/road_to_nuclear_security.pdf

Top Ten War Profiteers of 2004 | Top

Curious about who profits the most from war? The Center for Corporate Policy has compiled a list of the Top Ten War Profiteers of 2004 . To view the list of the top war profiteers in 2004, visit: http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2004/12/31_center-corporate-policy_war-profiteers.htm

To read the year-end report on war profiteering, visit: http://www.corporatepolicy.org/topics/topten2004.htm

"The world cannot afford to be complacent about the existence and threat of nuclear weapons. First and foremost we need to keep before us the essential bargain that the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty represents. While we will willingly contribute to non-proliferation and counter-proliferation initiatives, those initiatives should be promoted alongside initiatives to secure binding commitments from those who have nuclear weapons which move us further towards the longer-term goal of nuclear disarmament."

- Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Statements made at a meeting of the Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament
11 September 2004

" "What is the deterrent value of our nuclear stockpile for the threats of the 21 st century? Other than a Cold War " Russia gone bad" scenario, I do not believe that our nuclear stockpile is useful against our new foes. I am sure that the rest of the world recognizes the fact that the U.S. has overwhelming military superiority in both conventional and nuclear weapons. However, has our current inventory of thousands of nuclear weapons dissuaded North Korea from building nuclear weapons? Is Iran being dissuaded from developing nuclear weapons capability by our massive stockpile? These are critical questions because we all know the answer is no . North Korea and Iran are not being dissuaded by our nuclear stockpile.

"So what is the point of threatening a terrorist with an earth-penetrating nuclear weapon? Part of the argument is to hold every target at risk so that there is no safe haven for a terrorist. But as we have seen over the past three years, holding terrorist targets at risk has little to do with being able to kill them once they have been found. Some think that, if we had low-yield nuclear weapons in our arsenal, we should have used them on some of Saddam Hussein's bunkers that we assumed to be holding weapons of mass destruction. To discuss the use of nuclear weapons in the same context that we discuss the use of conventional arms just does not make sense. It leads to policy outcomes that are irrational in today's post-Cold War world."

- Representative David Hobson (Republican, Ohio ), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
From a speech to the National Academy of Sciences on the nuclear weapons. The full speech is available on the POGO web site at: http://www.pogo.org/p/homeland/ha-040805-doe.html
11 August 2004

"We are writing to urge you to include strong funding for the nation's nonproliferation programs in your fiscal year 2006 budget request. While there was a modest increase for U.S.- based DOE programs in last year's budget, most of the U.S. - Russia threat reduction programs at the Departments of Defense, Energy and State were either flat funded or saw their budgets decrease. In addition to increased funding, we urge you to take several steps in your budget request to improve U.S. security in accordance with your promise, made in a speech last February, that ' America will not permit terrorists and dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most deadly weapons.'"

-US Representatives Tauscher, Spratt, Meehan and Edwards
In a letter to President Bush on Cooperative Threat Reduction
15 December 2004
To read the entire letter visit: http://www.house.gov/tauscher/press/12-15-04.htm

"The United States has cooked up suspicion over our nuclear programs and is escalating an offensive of international pressure to strangle and destroy our republic.If this tactic doesn't work, it plots to use this (nuclear) problem as an excuse for armed invasion.'"

-Kim Jong Il, Chairman of North Korea's National Defense Committee and General Secretary of the Korean Workers' Party
From the top secret document entitled "Detailed Wartime Guidelines" issued 7 April 2004 and leaked 5 January 2005

" Saudi Arabia and the other GCC countries can't find any justification for such nuclear activity which poses great dangers for all the peoples in the Gulf region. We are actually seeking to make the region free of weapons of mass destruction."

-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdel Rahman Attiya
From an interview in the Saudi daily al-Watan speaking on the nuclear ambitions of Iran and Egypt
3 January 2005

"We will do what is in our interest. We understand the Americans have the right to defend themselves, and they will choose that way. But from our point of view, we want to be able to protect our air space. We want to be part of the decision-making that happens there.We will not engage in the weaponization of space.that kind of understanding would have to be there."

- Paul Martin, Canadian Prime Minister
Describing the conditions in which Canada would participate in the US missile defense system
14 December 2004

"Variegated processes are happening around us and their interpretations give grounds for concern over our security. We're NATO's partners, but we don't see any sense in its enlargement. Likewise, we're U.S. partners, and yet we don't see any sense in the antiballistic missile systems. We'd like to see all the process develop transparently. When NATO began expanding, Russia acknowledged the right of other countries to build alliances and enter partnerships at their discretion, but we were astonished to see how all of it was done."

-Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
From an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt.
3 January 2005

"The real threat to the life of the nation, in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values, comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these."

-Lord Hoffman of The United Kingdom's Highest Court
Statement made against the UK 's laws permitting indefinite detention of terror suspects
16 December 2004

"I think the (Iraqi) resistance is bigger than the US military in Iraq . I think the resistance is more than 200,000 people."

-Iraqi Head of National Intelligence General Mohamed Abdullah Shahwani
Speaking to Agence France Presse. General Shahwani's figures on Iraqi resistance differ greatly from US General John Abizaid's estimate in November 2003 that Iraqi resistance numbered 5,000.
4 January 2005

"Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield."

-President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Statement made during his farewell address
17 January 1961

"During his tenure as White House Counsel, Mr. Gonzales appears to have played a significant role in shaping U.S. detention and interrogation operations in Afghanistan , Iraq , Guantanamo Bay , and elsewhere. Today, it is clear that these operations have fostered greater animosity toward the United States , undermined our intelligence gathering efforts, and added to the risks facing our troops serving around the world. Before Mr. Gonzales assumes the position of Attorney General, it is critical to understand whether he intends to adhere to the positions he adopted as White House Counsel, or chart a revised course more consistent with fulfilling our nation's complex security interests, and maintaining a military that operates within the rule of law."

-12 Retired Professional US Military Leaders
Excerpt from an open letter written to the Senate Judiciary Committee on the confirmation of Alberto Gonzalez as Attorney General
3 January 2005
To read the entire letter as a PDF document visit: http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2005/01/04_open-letter-judiciary.pdf

Editorial Team | Top

• Luke Brothers
• David Krieger
• Carah Ong