Tracking nukes

Although Bush and Putin couldn’t agree this weekend on Russia’s accession to the WTO, they did reach an accord to curtail free trade’s dangerous cousin, the illicit international trade in nuclear materials. Happy to find common ground on something, the two unveiled an informal global program that will track weapons and people suspected of carrying them, as well as improve cooperation and encourage joint action to intercept transports and respond to actual threats. The new Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism is a major expansion of the Proliferation Security Initiative, the 70-country effort to track nuclear materials. Rather than focus only on international transfers, the new program will work inside the borders of member countries, setting standards on protection and detection and developing common strategies against terror groups – welcome news indeed from a summit overshadowed by violence in the Middle East. 

The big question, though, is whether an informal network can be effective. With no central organization or headquarters, and little except fear to bind its members together, the organization will have to rely on quick communication and coordinated response – and on trust.