Last week, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohammed El Baradei, called for more international attention to the security of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities. This week, the EastWest Institute (EWI) releases its previously scheduled Policy Paper on this subject.

How justified is the concern? Ken Berry responds to this question from IAEA in EWI’s latest publication, The Security of Pakistan’s Nuclear Facilities.

In releasing the paper, EWI’s Vice President responsible for Global Security, Dr Greg Austin, noted that the problem was serious: “There is a November 2007 report that the CIA felt it serious enough to have provided covert assistance worth up to $100 million to Pakistan in the last six years to help secure the facilities.”
(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/washington/18nuke.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1203322353-UIjPDRLvHKBDjpyNLeveCw)

The EWI paper tackles critical issues on how to ensure that nuclear weapons in Pakistan remain in safe hands. Berry, a former Australian diplomat, and Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and Disarmament in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, makes a series of policy recommendations for the Pakistani government, the U.S. government, and the international community at large, calling for greater cooperation in security expertise, intelligence gathering, and support for a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT).

The report also highlights obstacles to multilateral cooperation such as, U.S. Congressional limitations on assistance for Pakistan’s nuclear program and the fragile trust that exists between Pakistan, India, and China on matters of proliferation. The recommendations in this paper aim to break through the existing barriers of suspicion and promote an open and cooperative response to guaranteeing the security of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities.

This report is the latest in EWI’s ‘PROTECT!’ series, which was developed to generate practical policy recommendations for both state and non-state actors to counter the most dangerous security threats to humanity.

EWI released the paper to coincide with EWI’s 5th Worldwide Security Conference in Brussels from 19-21 February.

This global conference, held annually, is aimed at reframing perceptions of the security debate and mobilizing business and community cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, the quite different threat from violent extremism, and other serious threats to peace such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It attracts up to 700 participants. Keynote speakers this year include Jeroen van der Veer, CEO of Shell International plc, and Cemil Çiçek, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey.

Other policy papers will be released during the conference.

The conference is co-sponsored by the World Customs Organization and the Japanese Foreign Ministry in its capacity as Chair of the G-8. The views expressed in the paper are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect in any way the views of sponsoring organizations.