Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei said Tuesday that the international community was in a 'race against time' to protect nuclear material from misuse.
Speaking at the London-based think tank, the International Institute of Strategic Studies, 2005 Nobel Peace Prize-winner ElBaradei emphasized the necessity for safeguarding existing nuclear weapons provisions from the ambitions of extremist groups.
'If an extremist group were to acquire nuclear or radiological material, they would not think twice about using it,' he warned, citing a recorded number of 650 cases involving efforts to smuggle such material in the last decade alone.
ElBaradei described the mood of 'today's world' as being that of a prevailing sense of insecurity, listing global security as 'poor' and warning of more insecurity to come for the next generation, with the world facing challenges from poverty to weapons of mass destruction.
However, despite the dismal outlook painted, the IAEA chief was quick to suggest a number of practical steps to address the emerging challenges in a landscape of nuclear proliferation, including a central fuel bank to ensure a reliable source of nuclear energy while at the same time being able to legislate over 'virtual' nuclear weapons states.
ElBaradei highlighted the important potential role the U.N. Security Council has in preventing the growth of nuclear capabilities but argued that it needs to be more consistent and preventative rather than reactionary for its credibility to be strengthened.
'To be effective, the Security Council must be ready at all times to engage promptly to address situations that are likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security,' he said stating the need for a quick response following any case of withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
ElBaradei also drew attention to the IAEA's own weaknesses, in particular its apparent slow progress towards its aim of universal disarmament, despite 'unequivocal commitment' to the process by nuclear weapons states.
'I believe it is crucial that we start to move forward -- not only on the nonproliferation front, but with equal force on the disarmament front,' ElBaradei said, retaining his renowned optimism and his search for a reliable alternative that would eliminate the need for nuclear deterrence.
While he did not claim to know all the answers to a nuclear-free future, the Nobel Peace Prize-winner was resilient in his hopes for the next generation, citing globalization as a catalyst to both 'increasing and decreasing the challenges we face.'
'While the threats have become more acute, the remedies have become more accessible,' ElBaradei explained, citing the paradoxical links between globalization and security.
'There is both an urgent need and an opportunity to move from a security system based on mutual assured destruction to one based on mutual assured security,' he concluded, urging the international community to move towards a future of nuclear transparency and cooperation.
