Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington, DC

The summit will address the issue of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and materials into the hands of terrorists, the mechanisms of the non-proliferation regime, the future role and functions of the IAEA, as well as other issues related to nuclear safety.

Why the US?

Initially, the United States sought a monopoly on the possession of nuclear technology. Even after the atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Roosevelt's adviser Bernard Baruch, in 1946, presented a plan to the UN Commission on Nuclear Energy, which put forward the conditions under which the United States offered to develop cooperation with other countries through the peaceful use of the atom. At first, Washington wanted to impose the plan on the USSR, but Moscow would not allow any interference in its internal affairs, and blocked the draft in the UN Security Council.

After that, the US has repeatedly tried to restrict other countries in their development of nuclear technology, regardless of what purpose it is used for.

IAEA and sovereignty

It is likely that Washington is not satisfied with the current role of the IAEA; the Iranian nuclear crisis has been resolved partly due to the agency. In the United States, they realize that they can no longer manipulate the IAEA, so the White House needs new solutions for the so-called management of global nuclear safety.

North Korea in the eyes of the United States is also a major problem, because they refuse to pay attention to the threats from Washington and its satellites. Traditionally, the US lobbying nonproliferation program forced different countries to sign the corresponding agreements.

Last summit

The first summit was held in 2010 at the initiative of Barack Obama, where the Presidents of both the US and China initiated the joint project of the Center of Excellence on Nuclear Security. Its construction began in December 2013 and it was completed in March 2016.

This summit is the fourth and final one. This is not only because Obama will not be able to be involved in the formal organization anymore, but also because the initiative cannot continue without the participation of Russia, who refused to participate in this summit because of its lack of relevancy.