Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation conferences just concluded in both Washington and Tehran. The hosts of the forums made significant achievements and opened a new chapter in the book of nuclear negotiations. The meetings reflect a new, vibrant form of diplomacy.
The two meetings had different results but proved that negotiations are an important part of solving the nuclear issue. Instead of devising sanctions, all parties worked to consolidate their interests.
It is time to continue this new style of diplomacy during the next round of nuclear negotiations in May, at the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the UN headquarters in New York.
It is expected that further compromises will follow after the conference, but hopefully, Iran will more likely cooperate with the US, and the US more likely moderate its approach to any defiance from Iran.
The players are not only the US and Iran, but include all nations. So how can the world continue writing this new chapter?
It is not enough to have a vision of a nuclear-weapons-free world, according to Ivo Daalder and Jan Lodal, the authors of The Logic of Zero, published in Foreign Affairs. A strategic vision for disarmament must be developed and then followed by a detailed implementation plan. Nations must think about the “strategic logic of zero” and decide how the world can achieve the difficult, but feasible, goal of eliminating nuclear weapons.
The authors suggest the US must start disarmament discussions with its closest and most important allies (who have long called for such an initiative) and then expand discussions to include other non-nuclear and nuclear states. Natural allies in this effort are countries such as Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden – and Indonesia.
Indonesia – a state without nuclear weapons, existing in a nuclear free zone and fighting against nuclear power – must have a two-pronged diplomatic strategy to help free the world from nuclear weapons.
First, as part of the Non-Aligned Movement, Indonesia must continuously support the “logic of zero”.
Indonesia should continuously also support the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC). The country must also call attention to any lack of political will or diplomatic inflexibility from other states with nuclear weapons during disarmament and non-proliferation negotiations. Indonesia should also promote the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) as a model for expanding nuclear-weapon-free zones around the world.
Second, Indonesia must promote cooperation so all nations can benefit from nuclear energy, whether advances come from states with nuclear weapons (such as the US) or from peaceful nuclear states (such as Iran).
The US’ use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes has been safe, beneficial and under clear regulation. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) developed in the US with nuclear energy helped eradicate the tsetse fly in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.
The US also supported the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Program of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) in Albania, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Yemen. The US also uses nuclear energy domestically in several water resource management programs.
Iran has offered a lesson in how to manufacture nuclear material, as seen at the inauguration of a new heavy-water reactor fuel plant, on Iranian Nuclear Day on April 10 in Isfahan. Sources say the plant will produce 10 tons of nuclear material per year, enough to fuel Iran’s 40-megawatt heavy-water reactor in Arak, and generate enriched uranium for the country’s other light-water reactors.
Indonesia’s contribution to understanding peaceful uses of nuclear energy was bolstered by hosting the Asian Nuclear Safety Network’s (ANSN) Nuclear Safety Strategy Dialogue (NSSD) last month in Yog-yakarta.
ANSN led the meeting, together with the IAEA, the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN) and the Nuclear Regulatory Agency of Indonesia (BAPETEN). Thirty countries joined with representatives from ASEAN, the European Union, the Latin American Forum of Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Organizations (FORO) and the Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa (FNRBA), to discuss regional and global solutions for building an Asian nuclear security structure.
Indonesia can’t ignore the peaceful use of nuclear energy, despite strong popular concerns on the safety and risk of atomic energy.
Differing ideas on nuclear energy persist at both at domestic and international levels. There are two sides of the coin: Nuclear energy makes both weapons and energy. People’s understanding of the issue reflects the depth of their experience with nuclear energy.
US President Barack Obama’s pledge to leaders to make the world non-nuclear was applauded internationally, but former US vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said Obama’s nuclear weapons policy is “unacceptable”. Palin and former US president George W. Bush can’t even pronounce the word correctly. YouTube videos show the politicians saying “nucular” and “nuculer” instead of saying n-u-c-l-e-a-r. Their verbal missteps are better than saying n-e-w k-i-l-l-e-r. Nuclear energy is more than fuel for instruments of murder. It has the potential to improve life for all people.
Indonesia can’t ignore the intense international discussions now underway on the nuclear issue. The Indonesian people need information and education about nuclear energy. It’s time to establish a clear, new direction for the country’s nuclear diplomacy and peaceful nuclear energy programs.
The writer is a lecturer and the chairman of the undergraduate program at the School of International Relations, Paramadina University, Jakarta.
