IAEA Safeguards Culture: 'Candy Concept' or Powerful Prism?

Symposium on International Safeguards

Abstract

This paper considers safeguards culture at the IAEA through the lens of organizational culture theory and developments in safeguards since the Iraq case of the early 1990s. It outlines organizational culture theory, suggests a working definition of safeguards culture and seeks to identify the creators, purveyors and guardians of the culture. After examining the wider cultural context, including the Agency's own culture, that of the United Nations and individual national cultures, the paper seeks to identify the key characteristics of the Agency's safeguards culture and how it has changed since 1991, as well raising the issue of the impact on various safeguards sub-cultures. Recommendations are made as to how the Agency might handle the safeguards culture issue.