(Via Politico).At the Nuclear Security Summit this morning, President Obama warns participants that since the end of the Cold War, "the risk of a nuclear confrontation between nations has gone down, but the risk of a nuclear attack has gone up."
"Nuclear materials that could be sold or stolen and fashioned into a nuclear weapon exist in dozens of nations. Just the smallest amount of plutonium—about the size of an apple—could kill and injure hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Terrorist networks such as al Qaeda have tried to acquire the material for a nuclear weapon, and if they ever succeed, they would surely use it. Were they to do so, it would be a catastrophe for the world—causing extraordinary loss of life, and striking a major blow at global peace and stability."
"In short, it is increasingly clear that the danger of nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats to global security—to our collective security. ... So today is an opportunity—not simply to talk, but to act. Not simply to make pledges, but to make real progress for the security of our people. All this, in turn, requires something else, something more fundamental. It requires a new mindset—that we summon the will, as nations, as partners, to do what this moment in history demands.
"I believe strongly that the problems of the 21st century cannot be solved by nations acting in isolation—they must be solved by all of us coming together."
"Nuclear materials that could be sold or stolen and fashioned into a nuclear weapon exist in dozens of nations. Just the smallest amount of plutonium—about the size of an apple—could kill and injure hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Terrorist networks such as al Qaeda have tried to acquire the material for a nuclear weapon, and if they ever succeed, they would surely use it. Were they to do so, it would be a catastrophe for the world—causing extraordinary loss of life, and striking a major blow at global peace and stability."
"In short, it is increasingly clear that the danger of nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats to global security—to our collective security. ... So today is an opportunity—not simply to talk, but to act. Not simply to make pledges, but to make real progress for the security of our people. All this, in turn, requires something else, something more fundamental. It requires a new mindset—that we summon the will, as nations, as partners, to do what this moment in history demands.
"I believe strongly that the problems of the 21st century cannot be solved by nations acting in isolation—they must be solved by all of us coming together."