Description
Transboundary approaches are of utmost significance in modern society. New technological developments bring about manufactured risks followed by innovation which enables human progress. For instance, nuclear technology is one of the ‘human-induced’ sources of risks. In this context, the risk of radioactive contamination is a transboundary risk. In other words, it crosses the boundaries of nation-states, which are being transported by not only air but also water. This paper addresses the challenges of nuclear risks and how states cooperate to manage these risks. Can these approaches address the challenges to the nuclear order and non-nuclear risks that are developing due to new technological advancements in the field of artificial intelligence (IA) and other technologies that can be integrated into nuclear weapons and lead to a nuclear war? The possibility is that all the measures undertaken may still not lead to successful risk reduction due to the complexity of the Third Nuclear Age. The focus is on countries such as Austria, Sweden, and Norway as well as the United States that took the lead in nuclear risk management since the early 1990s to reduce transboundary nuclear risk. The paper aims to explore from an international analytical lens what approaches a state may utilize during its cooperation with other states to reduce risks and manage the atom. Additionally, the role of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in international cooperation on nuclear risk reduction is analyzed. The paper assesses transboundary nuclear risk a state can apply by three support approaches: collective learning; financial and technical support; and compliance control. In the case of international organizations, both IGOs and NGOs can serve as platforms for collective learning and raising awareness of the nuclear risk that is at stake, but are we running out of time? How to address the challenges of the Third Nuclear Age?
