The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is possibly the major global threat facing the world. Along with regular year-end reviews, VOA presented a series of reports on proliferation issues facing the world as 2004 ends and a new year begins. These reports ran during the last week of December, and can be found on VOA's special Year End compilation page:
PROLIFERATION/OVERVIEW: The threat posed by Weapons of Mass Destruction (and missile technology proliferation) and what the Bush administration and the world community are doing about the problem.
PROLIFERATION/PROGRAMS: Among the efforts under way to curb the WMD threat are U.S. buyback programs for former Soviet nuclear weapons and the retrieval of nuclear materials from research and other reactors along with U.N. and IAEA monitoring.
PROLIFERATION/LIBYA: A case example of a country that has turned over its WMD materials.
PROLIFERATION/IRAN: A case example of international efforts to restrain a country from pursuing a nuclear weapons program.
PROLIFERATION/NORTH KOREA: A case example involving one of the largest missile part proliferators and a country also embroiled in an international dispute over its nuclear ambitions.
PROLIFERATION/PAKISTAN: A case example of a country where scientists became involved in a vast black market of nuclear parts.
PROLIFERATION/MOSCOW: The view from Moscow on the security of former Soviet nuclear materials.
In addition, VOA also presented a series on the specific problems in Africa posed by small arms and light weapons:
SMALL ARMS/AFRICA/THE PROBLEM: Small arms and light weapons continue to pose a threat to regimes and civilian populations across sub-Saharan Africa. Arms experts define the problem and outline what can be done to address the issue.
SMALL ARMS/AFRICA/CONFLICTS: Conflicts in Ivory Coast, Congo, Sudan and elsewhere are examples of the threat posed by virtually unlimited supplies of small arms and light weapons.
SMALL ARMS/AFRICA/SOLUTIONS: Despite the challenge, efforts are under way to attempt to curb the threat posed to stability in Africa by small arms, including sanctions, weapons collection programs and other efforts.
