There are three parts to this thesis, divided into seven chapters. Part 1 establishes the theoretical approach; Part 2 examines four potential pathways towards a nuclear fuel cycle that Malaysia might adopt; and Part 3 provides a summary and conclusion to the Thesis.
Part 1 contains two chapters. Chapter 1, Towards an Understanding of Malaysian Policy on the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, discusses the novelty of this research project, the only existing policy study of Malaysia’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle Policy, and the gap analysis that needs to be conducted.
Chapter 2, Towards Successful Nuclear Cooperation: Building Trust through Multilateralism, presents a literature review focusing on multilateralism as the optimal solution for nuclear security and non- proliferation. This chapter explores the notion of multilateralism through four theoretical lenses: Realism, Constructivism, Liberal Institutionalism, and Neo-functionalism. Chapter 2 explains further the differences between the implementation of multilateralism by western states and by ASEAN.
Part 2 of this thesis consists of four chapters that explore and discuss the four potential pathways of this study. Chapter 3, The Foundation of Euratom and the Evolution of the Multilateral Approach to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, explores the evolution of efforts to overcome issues that related to nuclear weapons proliferation and the evolution of MNA. This
25 chapter analyses the factors that contributed to the failure of nuclear initiatives proposed since 1946. Past mistakes should not be repeated in modern multilateral nuclear cooperation. The study looks at three historical periods, the Cold War, Post-Cold War, and the contemporary era marked by more complex trans-national issues such as terrorism and modern nuclear proliferation. The chapter also explains how the MNA impacted newcomer states, and developing countries in particular, as well nuclear supplier states with open fuel cycles (with no reprocessing or enrichment facility). Chapter 3 moves on to analyse in greater depth the establishment and evolution of Euratom. Euratom was selected for this study because of its success in handling nuclear matters in Europe. These findings are linked to the structure of the proposed MNA and the concept of multilateralism to see if key features of Euratom may be used in implementing MNA.
When discussing multilateralism, debating the nature of trust is unavoidable because it involves multinational cooperation and different national policies. Trust, briefly introduced in Chapter 2, is explored in more detail in Chapter 4 through two case studies: the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran. The former has a reputation as a ‘trusted’ member of the international community, while the reverse is true for Iran: making a comparison potentially very useful in determining what elements are necessary in building a relationship of trust.
Research on the relationship of Iran and the UAE countries with the US is important for Malaysia to understand the factors that would establish trust with the supplier states such as the USA. The USA is the point of reference because it influences nuclear politics and international relations more than any other single state. The study also includes observation on the history of nuclear activities and policies in the UAE
26 and Iran. It is expected that these studies would provide knowledge about the state leader’s notion with regards to their state’s identity that drives their choices for nuclear technology; whether for energy or weapons.
After recognising the lessons learned from previous MNA and understanding the notion of multilateralism and trust within it, Chapter 5, Prospects for ASIANTOM: A Focus on Indonesia and Vietnam, explores the ASEAN perspective on the idea of multilateral institution / organisation and Asian views on the implementation of MNA. Two countries that explicitly have announced their readiness to build nuclear power programmes, Indonesia and Vietnam, were selected as case studies. The case studies focused on the country’s foreign policy and policy on multilateral cooperation. This analysis offers insights into the state’s motivation for developing a nuclear program. This chapter also closely focused on the idea of developing trust between supplier and consumer states.
Chapter 6, Malaysia’s Best Option: A Multilateral Approach to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, presents the Malaysian perspective on the implementation of the MNA. The study’s approach is the same as in Chapter 5, by focussing on the country’s foreign policy and policy on multilateral cooperation, country’s policy on Nuclear Programme for Peaceful Purposes and the MNA. Results from this chapter are used to compare Malaysia’s position in nuclear activities with other ASEAN countries, which, indirectly, would offer a picture of the ASEAN’s views towards MNA.
Part 3 of this Thesis presents the main findings of the study. It discusses the general factors for nuclear cooperation and factors that affect
27 multilateral nuclear cooperation such as the MNA. Factors from Chapter 3, 4, 5 and 6 are taken into account to construct a foundation for Malaysia’s decision on joining MNA and designing Malaysia’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle Policy to assure its fuel security and sustainability.