Keystone in the fight against nuclear terrorism: Tackling nuclear material trafficking

This study has been written with the aim of emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in preventing nuclear terrorism that may occur as a result of illegal nuclear material smuggling by sub-national groups on the international black market. Terrorist groups due to their motivation, will not hesitate to carry out a nuclear terrorist attack, to make a nuclear weapon with nuclear materials that they can obtain from the international black market and to use this nuclear weapon in an action they will carry out, especially when the mass casualties carried out by terrorist groups in recent years are taken into consideration. The increase in terrorist groups' ability to access nuclear materials is directly proportional to the idea that the moment of a possible nuclear terrorist attack is getting closer every moment. The first action to be taken to prevent a possible nuclear terrorist attack is to minimize the access of terrorist groups to nuclear materials and to eliminate this event. In this context, nation states should put aside other foreign policy relations between them and fight together with the support of international organizations and organizations to eliminate the nuclear black market network and thus to prevent a nuclear terrorist attack that may occur. In this thesis, the objectives of terrorist groups to acquire nuclear materials and all dimensions of a possible nuclear terrorist attack that they may carry out were analyzed and the first action to be taken to prevent nuclear terrorism, to prevent illegal nuclear material trade and to eliminate the international nuclear black market network, at national and international levels. It is aimed to examine the steps taken and to be taken. In addition, the perspective of Türkiye in cases of illegal nuclear material smuggling is also included in the study.