9+Australia

Country: Australia Topic:Nuclear Proliferation Comittee: 9 Name: Ellen Greek Period: 3 __ Background  __ The US, Russia, France, China, and the UK were the 5 original countries with nuclear technology, but now due to proliferation of this technology, it is suspected that at least four other countries (India, Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea) have nuclear technology. Nuclear proliferation is a huge threat internationally. Because if nuclear technology were to fall into the wrong hands, then no one citizen of any country could know for sure whether they would wake up the next morning or whether their entire country would be blown to pieces. ** __ UN Involvement  __ In 1968, the United Nations got involved with this issue by creating the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. This treaty consists of three pillars: non-proliferation, disarmament, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Since the signing of this treaty, Pakistan, Israel, India and North Korea are the only four countries who have withdrawn from the treaty due to their inability to obey its terms. __ Country Policy and Involvement   __ As a country, Australia does not possess nuclear weapons, it is however a main supplier of Uranium to several other countries. Although Australia has chosen not to get in the way of nuclear commerce, it is still strongly opposed to nuclear proliferation. When asked if nuclear weapons should be banded, 92 percent of the Australian citizens who were polled said yes. Also, Australia has refused to sell Uranium to India until they agree to rejoin the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Within recent years, Australia refrained from voting on a UN motion to reactivate the issue of nuclear disarmament.  __ Solutions __ **There are only two reasons that a nation would want nuclear weapons, power and security. The desire for power is one that can not but eliminated because every nation strives to have authority over another nation. And wanting nuclear weapons for security is ironic because by possessing nuclear weapons, that nation then becomes a main target for other countries with nuclear weapons. Naturally, Australia feels threatened by countries that have nuclear weapons, but they are still NOT trying to obtain any. It would be best for mankind if all nuclear weapons were band and the first step towards that achievement would be to update the treaty. The treaty states several guidelines for nuclear weapon countries to follow, but once those guidelines are broken, then there is nothing to say how to punish them. So in conclusion, a time limit should be set by which all nuclear weapon state should get rid of all of their nuclear weapons, and the treaty should be updated with a section dedicated to the enforcement of the three pillars. **
 * “ No burst of nuclear phenomenon, that put an end to what was going on; could make much difference to the dead and gone.” This startling quote by Robert Frost, predicts an unfortunate future for mankind, if nuclear proliferation were to get out of hand. And several countries agree that the nuclear proliferation issue has gone on long enough. This issue has been existent ever since the 1930s when the atomic bomb was invented through nuclear fission.