Second president of the chechen republic of ichkeria. The centerpiece of a strategy to prevent nuclear terrorism must be to deny terrorists access to nuclear weapons or materials. Terrorists could use a radiological dispersion device rdd, a radiation exposure device red, or sabotage a nuclear facility. The cris armed forces conducted their first ground operation against the russian federation, in dolinskoe 200 killed, unknown wounded. Some definitions of nuclear terrorism include the sabotage of a nuclear facility andor the detonation of a radiological device, colloquially termed a dirty bomb. Nuclear security and french support for the activities of the iaea pdf 86 kb. The incident was the first clear case of terrorism, even by. The term terrorism is one of the most politicized and contested concepts in the modern era. Terrorism is, in the broadest sense, the use of intentional violence for political or religious purposes.
As elsewhere, terrorism in chechnya is a method of warfare, not an end in itself. Nuclear explosion this form of nuclear terrorism is the gravest in terms of the number of casualties, the immediate vast destruction and the lethal longterm effects on human health and the environment. Chechnya is not all about terrorism, and chechen terrorism is in a different category from that of al qaeda. If they were able to obtain highly enriched uranium or plutonium, building a nuclear bomb is within the capabilities of a wellorganised terrorist group.
The plan called for seven slaviclooking chechens to seize a submarine from the naval base near vladivostok, attach explosive devices to the nuclear reactor section and to one of the. In order to determine the extent to which the chechen resistance movement poses a radiological or nuclear terrorist threat, one has to try and distinguishat least in a general waybetween the different components of that movement. Nuclear terrorism is the most serious danger the world is facing. The insurgency in the north caucasus is a direct result of the two postsoviet wars fought between russia and chechnya. Following the september 11, 2001, attacks on the pentagon and the world trade center, the nuclear regulatory commission nrc. Nuclear security summit background material april 2010 harvard kennedy school belfer center for science and international affairs nuclear terrorism fact sheet challenge. The threat of nuclear terrorism has become a global concern. Terrorism in russia has a long history starting from the time of the russian empire. Chechen terrorism russia, chechnya, separatist council on. Even one such attack could inflict mass casualties and create immense suffering and unwanted change in the world forever. The different forms of nuclear terrorism nuclear terrorism can manifest itself in several different forms. The video promised a present for the sochi olympics and all those who attend the games. Many factors can lead to complacency, but the most significant contributors are lack of knowledge.
It is used in this regard primarily to refer to violence during peacetime or in the context of war against noncombatants mostly civilians and neutral military personnel. In 1995, chechen terrorists planted a bomb composed of dynamite and a 7cs source in moscows picturesque. Nuclear terrorism states my own judgment that, on the current trend line, the chances of a nuclear attack in the next. Feb 09, 2002 nuclear terrorism could take several forms, from an attack on nuclear power plants and reactors to the detonation of a nuclear bomb in an urban area the international community urgently needs to expand its efforts to secure existing stockpiles of nuclear weapons and materials, particularly in russia, pakistan, and india. Chechnya, maskhadov, military, putin, russia, terrorism rmed conflicts remind us that definitions and labels have political consequences and. The evolving threat of nuclear terrorism the world has entered an age of mass casualty terrorism, in which certain adversaries seek and have the capability to inflict maximum possible carnage to achieve their ends. Chechen terrorism russia, chechnya, separatist in recent years, chechen militants have escalated attacks in the north caucasus and revived bombings in moscow.
Zelimkhan yandarbiyev april 21, 1996 to february 12, 1997. It has been concluded that nuclear terrorism includes various forms of threats, including not only nuclear weapons but also the sources of ionizing radiation used for. Dzhokhar dudayev november 9, 1991 to april 21, 1996. There are feasible, aff ordable measures that, if taken, would reduce the likelihood of a successful nuclear terrorist attack to nearly zero. It is funded and maintained on behalf of partner nations by the government of the united states in its role as cochair of the initiative. The chechen republic of ichkeria cri was an unrecognized secessionist government in chechnya that intended to create an alternative governing body to the russian regime.
Radiological versus nuclear weapons there is a tendency to confuse nuclear and radiological weapons when, in fact, the differences, as explained below, are profound. Nuclear terrorism acts of violence political and nonpolitical involving radioactive materials, assaults on nuclear facilities, and thefts of nuclear warheads. Nuclear terrorism is a low probability, high consequence threat. One of the killed terrorists was carrying a manual on the handmaking of poisongas. In 2003, a referendum was held on a constitution that reintegrated chechnya within. Levi proposes new principles for understanding and defending against nuclear threats. Chechen republic of ichkeria mapping militant organizations.
Defenseindepth in understanding and countering nuclear and. It is almost forgotten that the first chechen war 1994 1996 was provoked. Global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism gicnt. Mohamed elbaradei former director of the iaea and winner of the 2005 nobel peace prize, february 1, 2009. Terrorism, in the modern sense, 1 means violence against civilians to achieve political or ideological objectives by creating extreme fear. I will define catastrophic nuclear terrorism as a terrorist attack that would lead. Nuclear terrorism refers to any person or persons who detonate a nuclear weapon in an act of terrorism meaning illegal or immoral use of violence for a political or religious cause.
Understanding the threat of nuclear terrorism by evan braden montgomery over the past several years, the prospect of a terrorist group armed with a nuclear weapon has frequently been cited as a genuine and overriding threat to the security of the united states. Chechen terrorism russia, chechnya, separatist chechnya has been plagued by two wars and an ongoing insurgency since the fall of the soviet union. Moreover, if chechnya succeeded in capturing, stealing, or buying. Complacency about the threat of nuclear terrorismthe belief that nuclear and radiological terrorism threats are minimal and existing security measures are sufficient to address themis the fundamental barrier to strengthening nuclear security. This prospect should compel all of us to act to prevent such a catastrophe. Nuclear power plants have long been recognized as potential targets of terrorist attacks, and critics have long questioned the adequacy of the measures required of nuclear plant operators to defend against such att acks. Third president of the chechen republic of ichkeria. Their target of choice would be moscow, but the chechens might provide weapons to their islamist brethren in alqaeda. Pathways to nuclear terrorism nuclear terrorism is one of the most serious threats of our time. There are four main alternatives that prospective nuclear terrorists might pursue. Radiological terrorism is the deliberate use of radioactive material to expose people to radiation andor to contaminate an area with radioactivity. Less destructive but more likely terrorism dangers come from attacks on nuclear facilities that use or process nuclear material. Chechen gangsters could also acquire nuclear weapons on the russian black market. The first chechen war was a nationalist struggle, with both secular and islamist overtones, for independence from russia and took place between 1994 and 1996.
Nuclear power plants are attractive terrorist targets. Nuclear terrorism assessing the threat, developing a response ix terrorist acquisition of nuclear weapons. If a terrorist group like al qaeda was determined to go nuclear, how might it attempt to do so and what obstacles would it face. The londonriyadhturkey axis special to eir youtube a jan. France takes risks linked to the emergence of a form of nuclear terrorism very. Chechen terrorism russia, chechnya, separatist council. The government has yet to focus sufficiently on securing facilities that pro duce, process, and store nuclear materials. Many countries continue to make efforts to strengthen nuclear security by enhancing systems of nuclear material protection, control. For russia chechen terrorism is a big problem which caused. Alas, this is far easier said than done, since the variegated chechen resistance forces are riven by factional. Drawing from our long experience with terrorism, michael a. While most of these facilities were designed with security in mind, many reactors were not designed to resist the level of terrorist threat that materialized on september 11th.
Jan 01, 2018 these include, for example, the 1991 plane hijacking, which took place almost ten years before 911 p. First president of the chechen republic of ichkeria. Policy brief march 2019 combating complacency about. Nuclear weapons in a nuclear weapon, energy is produced via the fission of uranium or plutonium atoms, in particular, atoms of either u235 or pu239.
Russia has consistently framed the conflict in chechnya as an issue of terrorism and banditry. In 2003, a referendum was held on a constitution that reintegrated chechnya within russia but provided limited autonomy. Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism. The attacks of september 11, 2001 have provided a wakeup call for facing the threat of nuclear terrorism. Russia joint threat assessment of nuclear terrorism. As vice president dick cheney once argued, if there is a one percent chance of a terrorist developing a nuclear weapon, we have to treat it as a certainty in terms of our response. Senator sam nunn, the likelihood of a single nuclear bomb exploding in a single city is greater today than at the height of the cold war. Eliminate international terrorism annexed thereto, recalling also that, pursuant to general assembly resolution 51210, an ad hoc committee was established to elaborate, inter alia, an international convention for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism to supplement related existing international instruments. Nuclear terrorism could take several forms, from an attack on nuclear power. No one doubts that in chechen fighters russia faces serious, capable, determined adversaries. But an unacceptable gap exists between rhetoric and reality when it comes to tackling the threat of nuclear terrorism in russia.
In december 1995, chechen separatists placed a shielded cancer treatment device. This website is a cooperative project undertaken by nations that have endorsed the global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism. Policy brief march 2019 combating complacency about nuclear. In response to the increasing terrorism, russia tightened its grip on chechnya and expanded its antiterrorist operations throughout the region. The nuclear control institute, since its inception in 1981, has been analyzing the risks of nuclear terrorism and seeking to alert policymakers and the public to the danger. Likelihood of nuclear terrorism in the judgment of former u. That concern seems to focus on sabotage by chechen militants and on the importance of guards and perimeter defenses. In july and may 2001 security services of the nuclear storehouses.
Al qaeda, chechens, and other terrorist groups have considered sabotaging nuclear reactors. The chechen resistance and radiological terrorism nti. A dirty bomb spreading radioactivity is simple and likely. Some definitions of nuclear terrorism include the sabotage of a nuclear facility andor the detonation of a radiological device, colloquially termed a dirty bomb, but consensus is lacking. Radiological terrorism and nuclear sabotage nuclear threat.
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