Overcoming Impediments to U.S.-Russian Cooperation on Nuclear Nonproliferation Report of a Joint Workshop (2004) / Chapter Skim
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4 Tools for Overcoming Impediments to Cooperation
4 Tools for Overcoming Impediments to Cooperation
Pages 37-50
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From page 37... ...
During the course of the workshop, and in the background papers, a number of approaches to overcoming impediments to cooperation both general and specific were suggested: Establishing and institutionalizing mechanisms for interaction at all levels of cooperation Identifying and seizing new opportunities for international cooperation, such as on developing proliferation-resistant nuclear energy technologies Facilitating changes in national law, policy, or procedures Creating mechanisms for communicating and disseminating the benefits of experience among program participants Prioritizing mechanisms In the following section, we describe these approaches, provide examples of each, and consider how they might be applied in future.
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From page 38... ...
Although operating in a multinational environment can involve painstaking negotiations and difficult compromises, the benefits of multinational cooperation may be considerable once agreement is reached. By distributing responsibility for a project among several nations, multinational collaborations may decrease the negative effects of strained bilateral relations on projects, reduce the financial burden on individual nations, increase the number of parties having a direct interest in a successful outcome, and generate support within the broader international community.
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From page 39... ...
Government-to-Government Interactions A number of Russian participants noted, and American participants generally agreed, that the development and implementation of bilateral U.S.-Russian cooperative programs in this very sensitive area should be increasingly converted from programs consisting of U.S. economic, scientific, and engineering assistance to Russia to cooperative programs based on equal partnership and balanced inputs of intellectual, material, and financial resources.
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From page 40... ...
For example, access to Ministry of Defense facilities in Russia has not ensued simply on the basis of the CTR Umbrella Agreement, but has required a significant amount of agencyto-agency negotiation of special access arrangements. Joint Coordinating Committees Several Russian participants noted a number of program management practices that they have found worthy of emulation.
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From page 41... ...
This understanding is particularly important in large construction projects with major engineering components, such as the plutonium production reactor shutdown effort. Manager-to-Manager Working Methods Several workshop participants also suggested that, although implementing agreements have been a key element in agency-to-agency collaborations, project managers define working methods during the course of a particular project.
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From page 42... ...
One Russian participant argued that the United States and Russia should establish a mechanism for sharing sensitive information that is of mutual interest but should not be made public. An American participant disagreed, pointing out that such mechanisms exist already and that the cooperative nuclear nonproliferation programs fad!
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From page 43... ...
Regular exchanges by groups of of dicers for short-term training at institutions responsible for nuclear nonproliferation Exchanges by undergraduate and graduate students for education on relevant subjects Exchanges by groups of scientists for advanced training at research centers studying issues related to national and international security Enhanced exchanges involving individual scientists to give lectures on topical problems related to nuclear nonproliferation Organization of regular bilateral conferences and workshops on nuclear nonproliferation It was suggested that development of new joint programs on training exchanges would contribute to the establishment of closer contacts and mutual understanding between the specialists of the United States and Russia involved in the implementation of bilateral projects on nuclear nonproliferation. Inter-laboratory programs between the nuclear weapons laboratories in the United States and Russia, so-called lab-to-lab cooperation programs, were touched upon briefly in the workshop.
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From page 44... ...
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF PROLIFERATION-RESISTANT NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES A number of workshop participants highlighted the importance of seeking out and exploiting new opportunities for international scientii ic cooperation that will strengthen collaborative nonproliferation efforts. For instance, the Russian background paper, and most of the Russian participants, heavily emphasized the potential role of cooperation on commercial nuclear energy in the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, suggesting that the goal of nuclear nonproliferation will only be realized when the burden of obtaining and possessing nuclear weapons substantially outweighs the perceived benei its.
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From page 45... ...
The Russian background paper cited several steps that have already been taken toward a more positive approach to nuclear nonproliferation, including the HEU Purchase Agreement, cooperation on disposition of weapons-grade plutonium, and ongoing multilateral efforts to develop proliferation-resistant nuclear technologies. There are now two parallel international efforts in this latter arena, the Generation {V International Forum (GIF)
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From page 46... ...
The Russian background paper called for the appointment of a single senior official in each government who would work to improve coordination of all cooperative nuclear nonproliferation activities. The of iicial would report to their respective president and head interagency groups on nuclear nonproliferation.
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From page 47... ...
They not only provide venues for American and Russian program managers to interact outside of official channels, but also create opportunities for program participants to exchange ideas with experts who are not directly involved with cooperative nuclear nonproliferation programs. However, many of those involved in collaboration already have a grueling travel schedule, and some information may be most effectively imparted in the form of a report.
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From page 48... ...
Given the scale and complexity of the network of cooperative nuclear nonproliferation programs, the process of rapidly correcting the root causes of a particular problem may be more destructive than the problem itself. The use of tools such as exemptions and waivers provides the onnortunitv to solve ~ , ~ I- - -- , immediate problems without having to wait until their more fundamental causes have been addressed.
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From page 49... ...
, ad hoc arrangements have virtually disappeared at the facility level. While ad hoc arrangements have been useful to the programs historically, it is not surprising that they should recede as the programs develop a system of agreements and procedures to underpin implementation.
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From page 50... ...
ant! Russian committees will collaboratively review the existing U.S.-Russian cooperative programs on protecting nuclear weapons, nuclear-weapon components and materials, nuclear-weapon-relevant technologies, and nuclear-weapon expertise and will make recommendations to their respective governments about how the scope, effectiveness, pace, and sustainability of these programs could be improved.
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