Marshall Islands

Nuclear Colonialism

Nuclear colonialism refers to the practice whereby colonial powers chose territories inhabited by marginalized and indigenous populations to conduct nuclear testing with little regard for the effects on the local populations. When the United States government selected sites for nuclear testing, these colonialist attitudes shaped major decisions.  The United States chose the Marshall Islands because it was a “remote” territory, distant from American populations, and under U.S. military occupation since 1944. The decision did not consider the Marshallese people who called the chosen Atolls of Enewetak and Bikini their homes, or those who lived on neighboring islands.

Lasting Nuclear Legacy

Many Marshallese were forcibly relocated to smaller islands with fewer resources and some have not been able to return home as their land, soils, and foods remain heavily contaminated. Even when relocated, populations suffered from health issues stemming from fallout exposure and food insecurity. Victims of the United States’ nuclear testing in and around the Marshall Islands suffer to this day from high rates of cancers, including thyroid and leukemia, reproductive disorders, and other ailments such as diabetes, arising from changes in diet.

Not only have the Marshallese experienced devastating health consequences but significant radiological contamination remains on the islands, including in the locally grown foods, rendering parts of the Marshall Islands uninhabitable. This contamination robs displaced Marshallese people of the opportunity to safely inhabit their native lands and live according to their culture and tradition.  Many displaced Marshallese now live in northwest Arkansas or Hawaii.

Environmental Impact

With lasting radiation in many parts of the Marshall Islands and contaminated food and water sources, living in certain parts of the atolls is deemed unsafe, and other areas suffer from scarcity of uncontaminated resources.  From 1978 to 1980, the US government organized a radiological cleanup of Enewetak Atoll,  collecting contaminated materials from different islands which were then deposited in an unlined nuclear test crater on the island of Runit. To contain this radioactive waste, an 18 inch thick concrete dome was constructed at sea level. Although original plans included a lined bottom, this safety measure was scrapped for cost and speed. The dome, referred to by the people of the Marshall Islands as the Tomb, contains over 100,000 square feet of radioactively contaminated soil and debris. As sea levels rise and catastrophic weather events become more common, the aging dome’s risk of failure increases.

The Compact of Free Association

Almost thirty years after the last U.S. nuclear test, a bilateral agreement entered into force between the Marshall Islands and the U.S. in 1986. The Compact of Free Association (COFA) recognized the sovereignty of the Marshall Islands, but also gave the U.S. ‘exclusive’ military access to Marshallese territory. Moreover, COFA acknowledged the 67 nuclear tests and instantiated a Nuclear Claims Fund to compensate victims of nuclear testing. While the Nuclear Claims Tribunal awarded the Marshall Islands over $2 billion dollars in damages, the Nuclear Claims Fund only granted $150 million dollars, less than 8% of the Tribunal’s award. 

The Compact of Free Association grants Marshallese people access to U.S. social services and the ability to travel and work in the U.S without a visa as a form of compensation.

Nuclear Zero Lawsuits

On April 24, 2014, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) filed lawsuits against all nine Nuclear Weapon States in the International Court of Justice and, separately, against the United States in U.S. Federal District Court. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation served as a consultant to the RMI on these lawsuits, working closely with the Marshallese government and assembling the US legal team.

At the time of these lawsuits, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) had been in force for over 44 years. The Nuclear Weapon States rely heavily on nuclear weapons and are engaging in modernization programs to keep their nuclear weapons active for decades to come, acting in violation of Article VI of the NPT, which calls for nuclear disarmament.  The cases were ultimately dismissed by the International Court of Justice and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.