W7T1- Summary on Terrorism and Nuclear Weapons

After the 911 incident, The Pentagon suggested the use of nuclear weapons against terrorists. Though highly effective, it would cause astronomical civilian casualties and anti-US sentiment. Besides, since terrorists work in cells over the globe, it is virtually impossible to eradicate terrorist operations completely. In addition, terrorist have the mindset that they are fighting the evil US, and using nuclear weapons against them would increase this perception, thus giving them reasons to return the favor in the same way. Regardless, there are still possibilities of using nuclear weapons against terrorists, but not against non-nuclear states. There is a risk that terrorists may use nuclear weapons. They can obtain nuclear weapons by stealing, since there are loopholes in the security of nuclear resources, or making one. Obtaining fissile materials and making nuclear bombs would involve complex processes, but is plausible for a highly organized terrorist group. Making nuclear bombs would prove to be difficult. Even if a nuclear bomb does not create destructive blast, the scattering of its particles will give out dangerous radiation. Presently a Draft Convention on Nuclear Terrorism is being discussed for handling confiscated nuclear goods and assisting on judicial matters, but nothing on the dangers of unguarded nuclear materials. Disposing available nuclear weapon store and safeguarding fissile materials is the only way to stop terrorists from having access to those materials, argues Dhanapala, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament. To prevent nuclear terrorism, it is vital for the intelligence services to be able to forecast attacks using WMD in order to avoid those attacks happening, notes Frank Barnaby (Waiting for Terror: How Realistic is the Biological, Chemical and Nuclear threat, 2001). The detection procedures formed under a convention of nuclear weapons would make determining a possible danger arising from the misuse of radioactive material or technical knowledge to stop the making of a bomb, argue Datan and Ware (Security and Survival: The Case for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, 1999).
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NuclearFiles.org Project of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Net. (1998-2008) Nuclear Weapon Issues. Retrieved September 26, 2008, from source:
http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/issues/terrorism/introduction.htm