NCJ Number
102241
Journal
Terrorism Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: (1986) Pages: 351-378
Date Published
1986
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the presentations and discussions of the 1985 conference entitled, 'International Terrorism: The Nuclear Dimension.'
Abstract
Conference participants included members of the multinational business community and specialists in international terrorism, nuclear weapons design and deployment, civilian nuclear commerce and proliferation, international law, national and industrial security, crisis management, and civil defense. Conference presentations addressed whether nuclear terrorism is plausible, what the means and targets might be, how governments and industry can effectively respond, and how nuclear terrorism can be prevented. Some conclusions are that nuclear terrorism is more plausible as opportunities for theft of fissionable material or nuclear weapons become more common, that nuclear arsenals and commercial nuclear power plants are likely terrorist targets, that antiterrorist strategies must assume worst-case scenarios, and that nations must be deterred from assisting the nuclear capability of terrorist groups. Conference discussions focused on cooperation between nations to counter the threat of nuclear terrorism, intelligence gathering to detect and deter nuclear terrorism, the physical security of nuclear facilities and materials, the weapons potential of commercial nuclear fuels, civil liberties concerns, and public awareness of the threat.