Channel One: Nuclear Detectives

Reproduced with permission from ChannelOne.com

By Cindy Lin, Designed By Grant Kindrick, ChannelOne.com

Click the button to find out about the authorized-- and unauthorized-- nuclear powers of the world, then take our quiz to see what you know about weapons of mass destruction.

Of the various weapons of mass destruction-- biological, chemical and nuclear-- nuclear weapons are the most feared. Today's weapons are even more destructive than the bombs dropped on Japan by the United States in World War II, which killed 120,000 people.

Because nuclear weapons are so powerful, the United Nations has set up an organization dedicated to controlling the spread of these weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. Its inspectors monitor legitimate nuclear power plants and research facilities around the world to make sure no clandestine weapons are developed.

By international treaty, only five countries are allowed to have nuclear weapons. All five (see the map for the complete list) have signed a pact, known as the Treaty for Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, pledging to prevent their spread and work towards eventual disarmament. However, not all countries are willing to follow the lead of the current nuclear powers, and several have gone on to develop weapons and become unauthorized, de-facto nuclear weapons powers.

In recent weeks, numerous developments have emerged in the international effort to keep nuclear arms in check. IAEA inspectors discovered traces of radioactive elements and equipment that could be used to make weapons in Iran. Libya has opened itself to weapons inspections, after renouncing its nuclear weapons ambitions. And North Korea, which admitted to having a program, said it will think about abandoning its program after months of tense negotiation.

-- 03 March 2004