“Technology is usually a great thing.  At first, something new is expensive, but – little by little – the price comes down.  Pretty soon everyone has an airbag in the family car or a computer at home.

 

In international relations, on the other hand, this effect is not always a good thing.  Nearly 40 years ago, in 1968, 188 nations signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.  This document was designed to accomplish three goals: to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in existence, and to protect the rights of nations to peacefully use nuclear technology, for energy, as an example.

 

As with all technologies, however, this one is beginning to spread.  In the 1968 treaty, only five nations were allowed to possess nuclear weapons: The U.S., the U.S.S.R., the United Kingdom, China, and France.  Since the early days in which those nations acquired this technology, however, the world has seen it spread.

 

Pakistan and India have conducted nuclear tests, and Israel is thought to have nuclear weapons.  North Korea is aggressively pursuing this technology and so is Iran.  As more and more nations get the recipe, the expertise, and the ingredients for a nuclear bomb, the threat of one being used continues to grow. 

 

The way in which a rogue state might use this weaponry has changed as well.  Instead of a Russian missile arcing across the continents to an American target, terrorists would use these bombs in far less sophisticated ways.  “Dirty bombs,” radiological devices deployed in densely populated areas, or bombs delivered by truck or by boat are far more likely scenarios today than they were during the Cold War.  We have prepared for these situations, and our intelligence and military organizations have adapted to these new rules of engagement.

 

The other means of preparation for this new nuclear age is to use a firm hand in our negotiations with Iran and other states seeking to acquire these weapons.  We must have a united front, we must include and depend on our allies in forceful negotiations, and we must promote the principles set out in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so long ago.  If we do not, we risk the destructive technology of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of a nation that would risk its own existence to end ours.

 

I don’t bring this problem up to frighten anyone or to hearken us back to the days of Cold War bomb shelters.  Yet nuclear proliferation is a serious problem for the future of our country.  The more nations acquire nuclear weapons, the more difficult it becomes to preserve the delicate balance of deterrence.  America must remain strong in order to keep the deployment of nuclear weapons in check. 

 

Iran and North Korea both initially signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and North Korea has since withdrawn.  Either of these countries holding a nuclear weapon would disrupt the stability and security of their regions and pose grave concerns for the rest of the world.  Either one of them could create an avenue for sale of this technology to terrorist organizations. 

 

This threat is an important mandate for America’s leaders and diplomats.  They must do their utmost, so America’s soldiers do not have to.  We must aggressively lay this groundwork now.”