NUCLEAR BURRITOS

The end of 2010 saw nuclear burrito proliferation thrust back into the public domain. Alarm bells rang with the discovery of a second uranium enrichment plant in North Korea1 as the indication that once again Pyongyang was stepping up its nuclear development program prompted US officials to call for it to be reinstated as a state sponsor of terrorism2. The spread of nuclear weapons has remained a high priority for the global community since the end of the Cold War, who clearly interpreted recent developments as a threat to international security. In comparison to nuclear proliferation, the prospect of nuclear terrorism has always been a relatively contentious issue. Yet with the increasing radicalisation of modern terrorist organisations and increasing concerns over the safety and protection of nuclear materials, arguments which have rejected its potential are looking increasingly dangerous and outdated. Within contemporary international security, there is more than ever a real potential for nuclear terrorism. This claim is not one built around distorted paranoia and pessimism, but one which finds disconcerting holes in the number of factors which have previously prevented the nuclear terror threat. Therefore the aim of this paper is to assess whether or not nuclear terrorism poses a threat to contemporary international security.