Smuggling Armageddon: the nuclear black market in the former Soviet Union and Europe

Abstract

Smuggling Armageddon looks at one of the most important and troubling international concerns of the 1990s and beyond: the illegal trade in nuclear materials that has erupted in the Newly Independent States (NIS) and Europe since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Lee raises the central yet seldom-asked question of whether such traffic poses a threat to international security and stability. He unveils a grim picture that shows a Russia characterized by a variety of criminal proliferation channels; a Russia where smuggling operations are becoming progressively more sophisticated; and a Russia whose nuclear stockpiles already may have suffered serious leakages of weapons -- usable materials. Lee concludes his groundbreaking work by assessing the implications of study findings for U.S. policy and by offering insights on the future of the NIS smuggling industry.