[ RadSafe ] Liability Limbo Threatens Loose Nukes Programs

[Gerry Blackwood]

Wrong answer........... It's got nothing to do with
anything that you posted. The Russians are just as
concerned with securing SNM's as we are. BTW the
Russian almost had the first RDD go off in 1995
luckily the Chechen's blew it......And yes its about
security....

Its all about economics...It's about MONEY! The
Russian Military budget is estimated at approximately
10 Billion.... The entire Russian governmental budget
is estimated at approximately 390 Billion.....We spend
more than the Russian Military budget on weapon
systems that don't make it off the drawing
boards......

How much does it cost to deactivate and dismantle just
one nuke weapon system? What does it cost to not just
secure one reactor but remove, transport and
blend-down  the HEU? Plainly the Russian's do not have
the money.

As far as liability is concerned. The Russian's also
know how much an accident would cost to clean up with
all its associated costs. And we all know about
Russian Nuclear design safety no matter if it was for
civilian or military use.

Finally. Yeah we should take the liability for this.
What's worse? A potential accident or SNM and or a
warhead falling into the hands of a non-state actor
and being detonated in a city? 

Of course there are other concerns like ensuring the
funding is going to the right pocket and access issues
but in reality its this simple....... 


--- Gv1 at aol.com wrote:
> Why should the Russians except any liability, they
> know the U.S has a greater 
> desire to reduce these types of materials than they
> do.
> 
> This is very similar to the issue of improving plant
> systems at reactors at 
> risk after Chernobyl.  They essentially told the
> free world, that if they 
> wanted to improve the safety of the plants, they
> would have to pay, else they would 
> continue to operate them as they were.
> 
> The strategy is simple, they know they have the
> upper hand because our desire 
> to resolve the problem is greater than theirs.  It's
> really just a function 
> of how much we have to pay to help solve this
> problem for them and effectively 
> reduce the risk for all.
> 
> Glen Vickers
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"Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality."