Dual-Use Tech, Nuclear Treaties, and Global Economic & Political Concepts

Dual-Use Technology

Technology that might be used normally for civilian purposes but can also apply to military applications. An example of dual-use technology is nuclear power. Uranium enrichment process can have two applications: Electricity and Weapons. Thirty countries use nuclear power for electricity, operating 460 commercial nuclear power plants, supplying 14% of the world’s electricity; and 56 countries operate 250 research reactors. The problem is that the material produced by commercial nuclear reactors (Plutonium) can explode; therefore, some countries use it for military purposes, as a threat for other nations such as North Korea. An example would be missiles, which were used for military aggression during the Cold War but also for people to reach the moon.

Four Asian Tigers

The "Four Tigers" or Asian Dragons are the highly developed economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. These regions were the first newly industrialized countries, which underwent rapid industrialization and maintained exceptionally high growth rates (in excess of 7 percent a year) between the early 1960s and 1990s. They are among the best economies in the world due to free trade, foreign trade, and exports.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general, complete disarmament. All countries pledge not to spread military nuclear technology; nuclear-haves pledge to share nuclear tech for peaceful uses; nuclear have-nots pledge not to use or divert nuclear tech to military uses; nuclear haves pledge to disarm and give up their nuclear weapons. All members agree to international inspections and safeguards of IAEA. NPT has been controversial, especially for large developing countries (India, Brazil), deemed unfair, unjust, and hypocritical - dividing the world into "haves" and "have-nots".

North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

The North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which came into effect on January 1, 1994, is an agreement that removes barriers and tariffs to the exchange of goods and services between the three countries. Its purpose is to encourage most economic activity to come from those countries to guarantee success, opportunities, and development. Trump wanted to change the rules and rename the agreement since he believed it was not favorable for the US.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The main functions of the IAEA are to: encourage and assist research, development, and practical application of atomic energy for peaceful uses throughout the world; establish and administer safeguards designed to ensure that such activity assisted by the Agency is not used to further any military purpose.

Ethnic Cleansing

Ethnic cleansing is the mass expulsion or killings of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group in a society. Other tactics are terror and intimidation. Genocide and ethnic cleansing often accompany or are present in ethnic conflicts but can occur independently too. Example: This meaning was used to describe the Serbs' attacks on Muslims in Bosnia and Albanians in Kosovo, as well as the Nazi Holocaust of European Jews in the 1930s-40s, where Hitler wanted to kill all the Jews since he thought they were to blame for problems.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), signed on April 4, 1949, is an international alliance that consists of 28 member states of North America and Europe. Its main purpose was to defend each other from the possibility of the communist Soviet Union taking control of their nation or spreading communism around the world.