Position Paper for Wisconsin High School Model United Nations
Topic: Consequences of Nuclear Proliferation
Country: South Africa
By Elana Lambert
Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons increasing and spreading at too
fast a rate because countries are using it to seek safety and protection. It is not only the spread of
nuclear weapons, but also fissile material and the information and nuclear technology that is
available to people. Fissile materials are materials that can sustain a chain reaction with neutrons
of any energy. Most countries in the world participate in international initiatives to that designed
to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The first time nuclear weapons came to the attention to the world was in 1945 when the
United States bombed Japan. This new weapon changed war forever. They bombed two cities,
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with atomic bombs. Although the atomic bombs ended the horrific
war, it had many consequences. There were immediate effects and long term effects. There are
three parts of an atomic bomb. There is the heat, blast, and fallout. The blast in Hiroshima
killed about 70,000 people, and in Nagasaki there were about 40,000 people killed by the blast.
The fallout and radiation killed even more people. The estimate amount of deaths at the end of
1945 in Hiroshima was from 90,000 to 140,000. That was caused from burns or other related
diseases. By 1950, the estimates were up to 200,000 in Hiroshima, and that number was caused
by long term effects like cancer and leukemia. In Nagasaki, there were 73,884 people dead and
74,909 people injured. There were many more hundred thousands who died from the sicknesses
that were caused from the fallout and radiation. After the US came out with the atomic bomb,
many other countries wanted to also because they saw how much power the US had with their
large arsenal of nuclear weapons. The UUSR was behind the US in having atomic weapons.
They tested their first bomb in 1949. The cold war was also going on at this time. There was
always the threat of a nuclear war if any country attacked the US. That was Eisenhower’s
foreign policy, which is called brinkmanship. The US also beat the USSR in the race to make
the first Hydrogen bomb. That could do 67% per damage than the bombs that were dropped in
Japan. The third country to possess atomic bombs was Great Britain. They came out with theirs
in 1952. France had nuclear weapons in 1960, and The Peoples Republic of China had them in
1964. Everyone is scared that a nuclear war could start at any moment because all these
countries are acquiring new nuclear weapons. The Atoms for peace speech was given by
Eisenhower on December 8, 1953. He talked about how the world should have peaceful uses for
the atomic energy. He was trying to comfort people and let them know that an event like
Hiroshima and Nagasaki would not happen again. He launched the Atoms for Peace Program
with many other UN member nations. That program supplied everywhere from schools to
hospitals with information about nuclear weapons. The US and the USSR initiated the Arms
Limitation Talks. There were two of them. This was talked about from November in 1969 to
May in 1972. They talked about treaties to try and limit the powers of their nuclear weapons. The
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was a treaty to limit the proliferation of weapons. It was started
because people wanted to feel safe. Currently there are 189 countries part of it. India, Pakistan, North
Korea, and Israel are thought to have nuclear weapons but they would not sign the treaty. That also
means that they do not need safeguard authorization either. Their weapons were most likely purchased
through black market transactions. That is not safe for the whole world because there is no international
monitoring. Some of these countries joined the Nuclear Club because they do not agree with the NPT.
On the other hand, South Africa used to have nuclear power, but then they gave the information away.
South Africa is the only country in Africa to successfully develop nuclear weapons. A nuclear
weapons program was started in1970 with a nuclear device that was ready by 1980. By 1990, the
president of South Africa, F.W. de Klerk, stopped the program. In 1991 they joined the NPT and finished
a comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA. The IAEA is the International Atomic Energy
Agency. It was another organization to promote peace and they also performed safeguard inspections.
South Africa also submitted a report on its nuclear material to the safeguards. Safeguards are there to
protect countries. At this time, South Africa was in control of 10% of the country’s electricity. Between
1979 and 1989, South Africa built and dismantled a lot of nuclear weapons. This made it very
complicated for the IAEA to verify them for the first time. In 1993, President F.W. de Klerk announced
that six nuclear weapons and a seventh one that was not finished had been dismantled. In 1995, the IAEA
declared that is was satisfied with all the materials and weapons program that South Africa had. Although
that weapons program had be stopped and dismantled, it still had to be accounted for. In 1996, South
Africa signed the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty. It stated that in this zone there would be no
nuclear activity happening. In 2002 South Africa signed the Additional Protocol in relation to its
safeguards agreements with the IAEA. This was a program so the IAEA could have more information
about countries nuclear activity, and it was to strengthen the original safeguards program. South Africa is
also a member of the Nuclear Supplier’s Group. That is a group that tries to limit nuclear proliferation by
controlling export and re-transfer of nuclear war development and by making the safeguards better at
protecting what is already out there. South Africa is the only country that has produced nuclear weapons
and then dismantled them.
South Africa is against nuclear proliferation. We have joined many groups and organizations that
are trying to contain the spread or stop the spread of nuclear weapons. We deactivated six of our own
nuclear devices even though we were the only country in Africa who had them!
A resolution is so important because if a resolution is not made it can jeopardize the life of
everyone in this world. Even if there are people who do live, there will be so much radioactive fallout
that everyone will eventually die from cancer or other illnesses. Some researchers at the American
Geophysical Union Meeting in December of 2006 found out very interesting information. They said that
a small scale regional nuclear war could disrupt the global climate for a decade or even more! If each
side had 50 Hiroshima sized bombs, researchers estimate that five million tons of soot would be released.
That would produce a cooling that would last for years and be catastrophic according to researchers. This
soot could also hurt the ozone layer and put a hole in it forever which would let in all that harmful
ultraviolet radiation that is not good for humans to be around too often. Anything living on the planet
could not live with all of those extra UV rays. Accidental launches could occur also. Information is
being spread too fast to countries who are not ready to have that information. For example in 2003,
Pakistan secretly gave information about nuclear weapon technology to Libya, Iran, and North Korea.
Everyone should agree to stop because whether is blows the whole planet up or just a country, it would be
horrible. It is too dangerous and risky. IAEA Director named General Mohamed ElBaradei said that “we
need a security system that’s equitable…you cannot ask everybody not to smoke while you’re dangling a
cigarette from your mouth. It is not credible; it is not sustainable”
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