EXPLORATION: South Africa

1. EXPLORATION:South Africa Brita Sands Derek Siddoway Erika Mariano Matt Booth Matt Thomas

2. Question Why did South Africa dismantle their nuclear program?

4. NUCLEAR SOUTH AFRICA

5. Why Did South Africa Proliferate?

6. Motivation: Began their proliferation in 1969 for peaceful purposes • Capabilities: • Significant uranium deposits within their borders • Their scientists were educated in the US (Manhattan Project) • Security: • Response to Cuban presence in Angola, Soviet presence in Africa • Domestic Politics: • Isolated: leaders believed program could draw in the US • Norms: • Large nationalistic sentiment, patriotism amongst leaders

7. Israel Issue • Israel was the main beneficiary of South African uranium at the time • the nuclear test site built in Kalahari was probably used to test the Israeli bomb (double flash).

8. Why Did South Africa Dismantle Their Nuclear Program?

10. Process of Dismantling • Less than 24 month process, beginning in 1990 • Did not initially seek help from IAEA • the uranium enrichment plant and production facility were decommissioned • The six devices were dismantled • hardware and technical documents were destroyed • By September 1991, all of South Africa nuclear plants and all of its HEU were placed under IAEA safeguards • The unilateral dismantlement process was completed by 1992

11. Reasons for Dismantling Security: • Cold War was near its end - no threat from USSR • Cuban troops withdrew from Angola • Namibia’s independence ceased their regional threat Domestic: • Ending apartheid - likelihood that ANC would take power would put nuclear weapons the hands of Libyan supporters International: • Pressure from US - South Africa would be treated as “hostile nation” with economic/political consequences • Fear of technology falling into the wrong hands Economic: • Projected costs would take away from other key sectors of the defense industry

12. Motivations of F.W. De Klerk • 1989: developed experts committee to discuss dismantling and joining NPT (eventually occurring in 1991) • Wanted to normalize relations with international community, US, Germany, so that they would purchase uranium from South Africa • Wanted to free up money for social and economic reform programs • Those that wanted to keep program lost influence upon his election

13. South Africa: Currently • Have since ratified CTBT • IAEA policies changed - UN Charter 7

14. Sources • Burgess, Steven. “South Africa’s Nuclear Weapons Policies.” The Nonproliferation Review. 2006:13:3, 519-526. • CNS Resources on South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Program • Kroenig, Matthew. "Exporting the Bomb: Why States Provide Sensitive Nuclear Assistance.” American Political Science Review Vol. 103, No. 1 February 2009. • Reed & Tillman. “The Nuclear Express.” 2009. Chapter 11. • Reiss, Mitchell. “Bridled Ambitions.” 1995. Chapter 2. • Reiss, Mitchell & Robert Litwak. “Nuclear Proliferation after the Cold War.” 1994. Chapter 9. • Stumpf, Waldo. "South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Program: From Deterrence to Dismantlement.”. Arms Control Today, Dec. 1995/Jan1996, Vol. 25, No. 10.

15. Artwork • http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2010/09/obama-on-islami.html • http://cns.miis.edu/safrica/map.htm • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Dir: Steven Spielberg. Perf. Harrison Ford. DVD. Paramount Pictures, 2008.