Year
2019
Abstract
Today, there are over a thousand radioactive sources in contested areas with weak or non-existent regulatory control. Nearly 1,200 radioactive sources, including Category I sources, are located in separatist-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine. Dozens of sources are currently located in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. These sources pose a risk for regional and global security as they could be trafficked illegally and used in a dirty bomb or other violent purposes. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faces a range of political and legal challenges in providing assistance to secure these sources since the sources in question are often found beyond the de facto</i> or de jure</i> control of any IAEA Member State or are located in territory contested by two or more IAEA Member States. This paper seeks to survey previous cases in which the IAEA addressed similar situations in the past and draw out key lessons from those experiences, understand the mechanisms by which the IAEA interacts with international and regional security organizations to provide technical assistance in regions with weak or non-existent regulatory control, and identify political and legal questions that face decision-makers at the IAEA as they consider response to radiological security dilemmas in contested spaces.