Hans Blix

UN Security Council vs. Weapons of Mass Destruction

International institutions given the task to maintain collective security and to seek disarmament need to build on cooperation between major powers. The authors of the UN Charter vested great powers in the Security Council but a consensus between the five permanent great powers was required for use of the powers. This inevitably paralyzed the Council during the Cold War. After the end of the Cold War, the permanent members have remained unable jointly to pursue disarmament, but they have succeeded in several remarkable cases to reach consensus, notably on measures to prevent the further spread of weapons of mass destruction. The quick action to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria was a win-win case led by US-Russian diplomacy, while the comprehensive deal settling the controversy over Iran’s nuclear program was a victory for patient diplomacy involving all permanent members and the EU. These actions show the potentials of the Council.

Thorium Nuclear Power and Non-proliferation

This conference on the use of thorium in nuclear power generation is most welcome. The aim is not to downgrade uranium, which has served the world well and long dominated our thinking. It has been the feed of the nuclear work horses for the last 50 years. Enormous experience has been accumulated, and it has helped us to refine the technology and also to gradually develop a nuclear safety culture.

North Korea Accord Is a Model for Iranian Crisis

As the Soviet Union collapsed and China shifted to the market, it was said that communism was nothing more than the longest road between capitalism and capitalism. It now looks like the Bush-era neo-conservatism is similarly a long road back to the realism from whence it departed. The US is now talking with North Korea and Iran instead of preempting them through war. A dissident Iranian scientist, the former top UN arms inspector and a former US secretary of state ponder this state of affairs.