N uc l e a r M a tt e r s

And in the context of the 2020 U.S. presidential electio n…

By Anonymous MIT Student #2

A m id s t th e c o r o n av ir u s p an d em ic , N o r th Ko r ea lau n c h ed f o u r n u c lear m is s iles to w ar d s th e Sea o f J ap an as a p ar t o f a r ap id ar m s - tes tin g p r o g r am o v er th e p as t th r ee m o n th s .

O th er n atio n s , to o , h av e c o n tin u ed d ev elo p in g th eir b allistic ar s enals o v er th e p as t y ear d es p ite g lo b al ag r ee m ent s an d tr eaties . Fo r ex am p le, th e Ir a n ian g o v er n m ent v io lated th e J o in t C o m p r ehen s iv e P lan o f A c tio n ( th e J C P O A , al s o k n o w n as th e Ir an n u c lear d eal) p as s ed in 2 0 1 5 b y c o n tin u in g to s u r p as s th e ag r ee d - u p o n u r an iu m e n r ic h m ent an d s to c k p ile lev els in late 2 0 1 9 ; h o w ev er , it is w o r th n o tin g th at th e U n ited Stat es d id leav e th e J C P O A b e f o r e th is an d im p o s ed s tr ic ter s an c tio n s o n Ir an u n d er th e T r u m p ad m in is tr atio n .

A s n atio n s c o n tin u e d ev elo p in g n o v el tec h n o lo g ies an d p o lit ic izin g n u c lear af f air s , n u c lear ex p an s io n an d p o lic y b y all c o u n tr ies ar e th u s p er tin ent , an d th is is tr u e n o w m o r e th an ev er , c o n s id er in g th at th e 2 0 2 0 U S pr es id ent ial e lec tio n is q u ic k ly ap p r o ac h in g . T h e ele c ted p r es id ent ’s ad m in is tr atio n w ill g u id e A m er ic a’s f o r eig n p o lic y s tan c es an d n u c lear s ec u r ity

in iti ativ es , s u c h as r eallo c atin g th e n atio n al def ense b u d g et as to in v ent an d s to c k p ile n u c lear ar m s o r ev en im p o s in g s an c tio n s u p o n o th er c o u n tr i es f o r b ein g a g g r e s s iv e w ith ar m s tes tin g . In s h o r t, to m ak e in f o r m ed d ec is io n s as a v o ter in th is y ear ’s ele c tio n — if c u r r ent an d f u tu r e n u c lear p o lic y ar e im p o r tan t to y o u — it is b enef ic ial to g ain an u n d er s tan d in g o f A m er ic an d ef ense im p lem ent s , th e c ap ab ilit ies o f o th er n atio n s r eg ar d in g n u c lear ar m s , an d p r es ent - d ay o r u p c o m i n g in ter n atio n al po lic ies , es p ec ially as th is y ear ’s p r e s id ent ial c an d id ates p r o p o s e th em .

He r e, w e’ll f o c u s o n th e af o r em ent io n ed ex am p les o f No r th Ko r ea an d Ir an an d h o w th e

A m er ic an g o v er n m ent h as att em p ted d enu c lear izati o n w ith th es e c o u n tr ies .

G u id in g o u r c u r r ent d o m es tic n u c lear p o lic y , th e T r u m p ad m in is tr atio n h as w o r k ed to ex p an d th e U S’s n u c l ear ar s enal b y m o d er n izin g ex is tin g w e ap o n s an d f u n d in g r es ear c h to d ev elo p n ew tec h n o lo g y , as o p p o s ed to ac tiv ely w o r k in g to r edu c e o u r s to c k p iles as th e O b am a ad m in is tr atio n d id . A s f o r f o r eig n p o lic y , o u r d ir ec tiv es ar e s h ap ed b y b ein g aw ar e o f h o w o th e r c o u n tr ies ar e d ev elo p in g n u c lear w eapo n s , an d th is is g ener ally d o n e b y tr ac k in g th e h eat an d c h em ic al s ig n atu r es o f th e b y p r o d u c ts g ener ated b y p lu to n iu m an d h ig h ly enric h ed u r an iu m .

Said f o r eig n p o lic y r elev an t to th e tw o s tat ed c o u n tr ies c an b e b o iled d o w n t o th e J C P O A an d th e v o lu n tar y in iti ativ es b y No r th Ko r ea.

T h e J C P O A w as c r eated in J u ly 2 0 1 5 an d es tab lis h ed in c o n j u n c ti o n w ith Ir an b y th e U S, C h in a, th e U K, Fr an c e, Ru s s ia, and G er m an y to allo w f o r n u c lear r es ear c h an d a g r ad u al tr an s iti o n to nu c lear n o n p r o lif er atio n in Ir an . Fu n d am ent al tenet s o f th e Ir an d eal in c lu d e c u tt in g th e n u m b er o f o p er atin g c ent r if u g es 1 in Ir an to a h alf , n o t allo w in g n ew c ent r if u g es to b e

d ev elo p ed, an d c ap p in g u r an iu m enric h m ent an d s to c k p ile lev els . U lti m ately , th e J C P O A w as m et w ith h eav y c r iti c is m b y U S Re p u b lic an s , r es u lti n g in T r u m p p u llin g A m er ic a o u t o f th e d eal in 2 0 1 8 an d o p tin g to u s e m ar iti m e tr ad e em b ar g o e s to c h o k e th e Ir an ian ec o n o m y an d f o r c e n o n p r o lif er atio n . No r th Ko r ea d ec lar ed a s elf - im p o s ed m o r ato r i u m o n tes tin g lo n g - r an g e n u c lear m is s iles s in c e 1 9 9 9 , an d th e U S r elax ed its s an c tio n s in r es p o n s e. Ho w ev er , o n J an u ar y 1 s t, 2 0 2 0 , Kim J o n g - U n d ec lar ed th at th ey w o u ld b e lif tin g th e n u c lear tes tin g m o r ato r iu m an d h av e c o n tin u ed c o n d u c tin g tes ts s in c e. It is es tim ated th at th ey h av e ar o u n d 2 0 - 3 0 w ar h eads an d th e c ap ab ilit y o f d o u b lin g th is g iv en th eir r ec ent tec h n o lo g ic al adv an c es in d ev elo p in g enric h ed u r an iu m v ia c ent r if u g e f ac ilit ies .

A n d f o r a b r ief d is c u s s io n o n p r es id ent ial c an d id ates ’ p o lic ies : Ho w i e Haw k in s , th e f r o n tr u n n er o f th e G r ee n P ar ty , p led g e s to “u n ilat er ally d is ar m ” A m er ic an ar s enals to a m in im u m an d to p as s th e T r eaty o n th e P r o h ib iti o n o f Nu c lear W eapo n s , a d enu c lear izatio n ag r ee m ent th at w o u ld lead to th e c o m p lete elim i n atio n o f n u c lear w eapo n s . J ac o b H o r n b er g er , th e f r o n tr u n n er o f th e L ib er tar ian P ar ty , ad v o c ates f o r n o n - in ter v ent io n is m as a w h o le b u t do es n o t e x p lic itl y s tat e an y th in g ab o u t nu c lear w eapo n s in h is p latf o r m .

T o s u m m ar ize, th e c r iti c al dif f er enc es b etw ee n th e o n ly p r es id ent ial c an d id ates w h o d ir ec t ly ad d r es s No r th Ko r ean and Ir an ian n u c lear n o n p r o lif er atio n ar e th at T r u m p w ill m ain tai n a

“m ax im u m p r es s u r e c am p aig n ” w ith b o th Ir an an d No r th Ko r ea v ia s tr ic t e c o n o m ic s an c tio n s , w h er eas Bi d en w ill p u r s u e a d ip lo m atic ap p r o ac h b y a) r ee n ter in g th e J C P O A an d th er eby allo w in g Ir an to c o n ti n u e n u c lear r es ear c h w h ile s til l lim iti n g its enric h m ent , as w ell as b ) w o r k in g w ith C h in a an d A m er ic an allies to d enu c lea r ize No r th Ko r ea.

It ap p ear s th at bo th p ar ties h av e d is tin c t s tan c es o n n u c lear p o lic y , an d th e d ec is io n s o u r ele c ted leader s m ak e r ele v an t to th is — es p ec ially r e g ar d in g o u r allian c es w ith o th er c o u n tr ies — c o u ld p o ten tial ly im p ac t o u r f u tu r es as A m er ic an s .

T h u s , c o n s id er c o n tin u in g to f am iliarize y o u r s elf w ith n u c lear p o lic y in c an d id ate p latf o r m s an d v o tin g ac c o r d in g ly th is f all.

1. C ent r if u g es ( r e f er to th e tec h n ic al no te f o r m o r e in f o r m atio n ) ar e in teg r al to c o n c ent r atin g u r an iu m an d p u r if y in g U - 2 3 5 f r o m U - 2 3 8 ato m s . U r an iu m - b as ed n u c lear w eapo n s ar e c r eated by p lac in g p u r if ied u r an iu m m etal b y a c h em ic al e x p lo s iv e ( an d a b u llet, de p end in g o n p r o x im ity) an d env elo p in g it in a s h ell.

M I T O penCour s e W ar e ht t ps : / / oc w . m it . edu /

22. 011 N uc l e ar E ng i ne er i ng: S c i enc e, S y s t em s and S oc i et y

S pr i ng 20 20

F or i n f or m at i on about c it i ng t hes e m a t er i a l s or our T er m s o f Us e, v i s it : h ttp s ://o c w . m i t .e du/ t er m s .