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Iraq, 2002
GlobalSecurity.org posted this image showing new construction (in enlarged
boxes) at the Tuwaitha nuclear research center southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. The
Iraqi Foreign ministry immediately responded by showing a picture of the image
at a press conference and denying that the facility was being used for military
purposes. The Iraqis then led Western journalists on a carefully controlled
guided tour of portions of the facility to demonstrate that it did not have WMD
function. The release of the Tuwaitha image marks the first time that an NGO
has successfully used commercial imagery to influence the behavior of a country
believed to be illegally pursuing a WMD capability.
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Tim Brown is a senior associate at GlobalSecurity.org, a nonprofit think tank
that supports the use of space technology to enhance international peace and
security.