Nuclear Proliferation: Nonproliferation
Learning Objectives
- Students will analyze various policy tools for nonproliferation and then apply them to hypothetical situations.
Materials
Homework
- Students will complete Part 1 and 2 of the guided reading handout.
Class
- (15 Minutes) Homework Debrief: Focus on Part 2, and consider the following: Which policy tools have been used most often in nonproliferation efforts? Which policy tools seem most effective in limiting proliferation and why? Can these policy tools get us to a world free of nuclear weapons?
- (20 Minutes) Complete: Part 3 of the Guided Reading Handout related to South Africa: Why Countries Acquire and Abandon Nuclear Bombs. Share key takeaways about why South Africa chose to abandon its weapons.
- (10 Minutes) Pass out the Nonproliferation Scenarios and explain the instructions. Students will read over these for homework and be ready to discuss in the next class.
Homework
- Students will read the Nonproliferation Scenarios and be ready to discuss during the next class.
Vocabulary
- alternative energy
energy sources that are not fossil fuels. Derived from biofuels, solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, or even nuclear power, these sources release few to no greenhouse gas emissions.
- atomic
relating to an atom, a microscopic particle that forms the smallest unit of an element. The term also refers to the energy released using nuclear fission. An “atomic bomb” (using fission) is one type of nuclear weapon. Another type is the hydrogen bomb, which uses the fusion of two varieties of hydrogen to release energy.
- communism
a political and economic system in which private property is eliminated in favor of common, public ownership of the means of production (such as factories), natural resources, and more, leading to the creation of a stateless, classless society.
- disarmament
the renunciation of given weapons, or all weapons, by states or other entities that possess them. One provision of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) calls for countries with nuclear weapons to take steps “in the direction of nuclear disarmament,” or the elimination of their nuclear arsenals.
- norm
commonly accepted standard of behavior. Because international law is not always binding, international relations is highly influenced by norms.
- sanction
a tool of statecraft, frequently involving economic measures such as asset freezes and trade restrictions, used to exact a certain behavior or outcome from another party.
- nuclear enrichment
a process, generally using centrifuges, by which uranium is processed into enriched uranium suitable for nuclear reactions. Low-enriched uranium can be used for nuclear power; highly enriched uranium is needed for nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) attempts to monitor this process as part of its efforts to ensure that nuclear technology is limited to peaceful uses.