介绍:
V. Conclusion
In the twenty-first century, nuclear terrorism has become the gravest threat to the security of individual states and the international community at large. The accelerating rise of globalization--the sweeping societal transformations that progressively cause the world to function more as an integrated society than a montage of independent sovereign states separated by national borders--makes the possibility of nuclear terrorism all the more likely. Over the last three decades, revolutions in global transportation, communication and information exchange networks have provided extremist groups with more facile ways to coordinate stealing or buying nuclear weapons and material, and then transport them across borders to their targets. This threat is confirmed by reliable reports that terrorist groups are planning to acquire such weapons.
The enormity of this threat weighs heavily on the foreign policies of states and the broader international legalsystem. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, *241 special initiatives were taken to repatriate nuclear materials from foreign countries to their points of origin in the United States and Russia. The United States initiated multilateral efforts to interdict and inspect vessels at sea suspected of transporting trafficked nuclear materials. Countries also came together to form a Global Initiative designed to raise awareness of nuclear terrorism, encourage adherence to the international legal framework designed to combat it, and provide the material and advice necessary to secure global nuclear supplies.
The threat posed by nuclear terrorism has had a significant impact on the international legalsystem as well. Given the multiple forces of globalization, policymakers have been forced to address issues of sovereignty and national security in securing global nuclear supplies. Globalization also challenged policymakers to rethink jurisdictional issues, define the crime of nuclear terrorism and adopt specific new legal instruments to accommodate and strengthen counter-proliferation efforts. A special international instrument, the Convention for the Suppression of Nuclear Terrorism, provides for a more comprehensive reaction to the specific threat of nuclear terrorism, defines the crime of nuclear terrorism, obligates parties to integrate this offense into their national legalsystems, and makes such offenses international crimes subject to universal jurisdiction for party states. Another agreement, the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Financing, buttresses efforts against nuclear terrorism by attempting to cut off the means available to terrorist groups for procuring funds that might be used to purchase nuclear material or plan attacks against nuclear facilities. International agreements are necessary but not sufficient for preventing nuclear terrorism. Although the probability of a nuclear terrorist attack may have dramatically risen over the past decade, nuclear supplies remain under the control of some governments that do not always have the best interests of the international community at heart. It is imperative that all governments acknowledge that nuclear terrorism is a universal concern that requires concerted international attention. Only through the genuine commitment and political will of most governments, especially the nuclear powers, to enforce international law and execute foreign policies to prevent nuclear terrorism can the threat be successfully managed. That said, whether or not national governments rise to this challenge, nuclear terrorism will remain a preeminent threat to global security for the foreseeable future.
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