ElBaradei Discusses Arms Control

2005 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei stressed the need for global cooperation in addressing arms control and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in a speech yesterday at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum.

ElBaradei said that the current non-proliferation program is rife with problems that render efforts to stifle nuclear development very difficult.

“If we look at the system now, I think it is a dysfunctional system,” ElBaradei said. He said a multi-national effort is central to his vision of successful implementation of the United Nations’ non-proliferation treaty.

“We need to resign ourselves to the fact that we need to work as one human family,” he said. “In terms of nuclear disarmament, there is a place for every citizen to contribute....I believe we need every society to step up to the plate.”

ElBaradei was jointly awarded the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a body affiliated with the UN for which he has served as director general since 1997.

The Nobel Peace Prize Committee commended ElBaradei’s “efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest way possible.” ElBaradei, who is a native of Egypt, recently began his third term as director general of the IAEA.

ElBaradei said last night that countries such as Libya, North Korea, and Iran, which are threatening to produce nuclear weapons, present significant difficulties for the IAEA.

He also noted that it may be dangerous for nations to develop nuclear capabilities without actually developing nuclear weapons. According to ElBaradei, these nations pose a major threat because they are capable of turning that potential into actual weaponry in a relatively short period of time.

“To me, if we continue along that path, the security margin we have is almost fictional,” ElBaradei said.

Much of ElBaradei’s talk centered around terrorism. He asserted that terrorists pose a serious threat, but that it remains difficult for them to actually obtain the materials and assemble a true nuclear weapon.

The speech’s moderator, Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Graham T. Allison ’62, and audience members drilled ElBaradei on the status of the IAEA’s investigations into nuclear weapons in Iran. The IAEA has drawn frequent criticism for its work with Iran because there is perpetual uncertainty surrounding Iran’s program.

ElBaradei responded that he and his agency have been making significant progress in understanding Iran’s arms program. With regard to the hostile relations between the U.S. and Iran over Iran’s possible development of nuclear weapons, he said that both nations must work together to address their grievances in a productive way.

ElBaradei also emphasized the need for countries to use “soft power” to achieve their political goals.

“We need to exhaust all options before force,” ElBaradei said. “I am a strong believer in soft power.”

Although he has frequently clashed with the Bush administration, which supports producing nuclear weapons at home, ElBaradei said that he remains on good terms with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

ElBaradei’s message was well-received by an audience of about 200 people at the Forum.

“I thought he made a clear and compelling case for the type of work his organization is doing,” said Martin Bratt, a student at the Kennedy School of Government.