AFF/NUCLEAR: WMD ARE A HUGE AND OFTEN IGNORED RISK

WMD POSE THE BIGGEST THREAT TO USA SECURITY

The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, April 3, 2001: Editorial; Pg. 8A, HEADLINE: Cooperating with Russia best buy in nuclear safety //VT2002acsln

Former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn minced no words last week in his coming-out speech as perhaps the world's most prominent monitor of nuclear disarmament:

"The most significant . . . danger to the national security of the United States is the threat posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Nothing else comes close."

THE THREAT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS NOW REAL AND TOO OFTEN IGNORED

Omaha World-Herald January 11, 2001, SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 22; HEADLINE: A Grim Notion: Loose Nukes //VT2002acsln

"The threat that we face from nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction is real. It is even more urgent now since it seems to have fallen off most people's radar screens during the last 10 years since the Cold War ended." (Turner)

Turner said he supports the elimination of nuclear weapons but believes that working on stabilization issues is a logical intermediate step.

NUCLEAR WEAPON USE RISK HAS INCREASED BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED CHANCE OF ACCIDENTS, UNAUTHORIZED USE AND THEFT

At the same time, the dangers inherent in nuclear weapon have continued and in some ways increased. They include the risks of accidents and unauthorized launches--risks which, while small, nevertheless still exist. Seizures or thefts of weapons or weapons materials and threats or actual use by terrorists or domestic rebels, are of additional concern. Moreover, despite the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, nuclear weapons could spread to additional nations, with risk of their use in crisis or war. And if they should spread, the risks of accidents and of unauthorized, inadvertent, or deliberate use will spread as well.

WMD ARE THE #1 THREAT, AND AWARENES OF THE THREAT IS LOW

Don Melvin March 30, 2001 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution SECTION: News; Pg. 1B HEADLINE: Nuclear arms risk still high, Nunn says;

He urges U.S. to help Russia shield arsenal //VT2002acsln

Former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, in his first major policy address since agreeing to lead Ted Turner's Nuclear Threat Initiative, argued forcefully Thursday that the world's risk of nuclear catastrophe has not diminished since the end of the Cold War.

"The most significant, clear and present danger to the national security of the United States is the threat posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction," Nunn said in a speech at the National Press Club.

"Nothing else comes close. The public perception of the threat is low; the reality of the threat is high. There is a dangerous gap between the threat and our response."

NEVER BEFORE HAVE THE STAKES OF AVOIDING NUCLEAR WAR BEEN AS HIGH AS THEY ARE TODAY

John B. Stimpson, The Boston Herald, November 14, 1999 SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 024 HEADLINE: OP-ED; AS YOU WERE SAYING...; Missile defense strategy could help launch Clinton's legacy // acs-ln-11-19-99

In 1983, during an arms-related speech to the nation, President Reagan said, "Our only purpose - one that all people share - is to search for ways to reduce the danger of nuclear war." Never before have the stakes been as high as they are today. In the rough and tumble world of geopolitics, a missile defense system, even a limited one, would be a valuable safety net to prevent the unthinkable.