Radioactive Polynesia and Algeria: when France bombed its Colonies

The end of World War II also marked the beginning of the atomic age, when some States launched the nuclear arms race. Initially, in the geopolitical context of the Cold War and the lack of effective international disarmament policies, countries such as the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France, and China became nuclear powers in the period from 1945 to 1964. Specifically, France conducted its tests first in Algeria between 1960 and 1966, then in Polynesia between 1966 and 1996, a total of 46 conducted in the atmosphere or underwater and 147 underground, contaminating the surrounding maritime ecosystem. While it's difficult to establish the dosage of radiation to which the inhabitants of the island countries were exposed, recently some studies, thanks to declassified military documents, have shown that the French governments of the time had underestimated the impact and magnitude of radioactive particle fallout, to the point that Polynesia has demanded multimillion-dollar compensation for the damage suffered. This, however, is not shared by every Polynesian political front. We discuss this and more in this documentary.
Sources used:
- IAEA General Conference, "Measures to strengthen international co-operation in nuclear, radiation and waste safety. Study of the radiological situation at the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa", August 14, 1988 Resolution;
- R. Pravalie, "Nuclear Weapons Tests and Environmental Consequences: A Global Perspective", Ambio, 2014;
- T. A. Ruff, "The humanitarian impact and implications of nuclear test explosions in the Pacific region", International Review of the Red Cross, 2015;
- IPPNW, "Radioactive Heaven and Earth: The Health and Environmental Effects of Nuclear Weapons Testing In, On, and Above the Earth", London, Zed Books, 1991;
- www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/australia-and-pacific/cook-islands/;
- www.reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/OEWG/2016/Documents/WP14.pdf;
- www.icj-cij.org/files/case-related/59/10731.pdf;
- navymuseum.co.nz/explore/by-themes/1970-today/french-nuclear-testing-at-mururoa/;
- www.nti.org/education-center/treaties-and-regimes/south-pacific-nuclear-free-zone-spnfz-treaty-rarotonga/;
- moruroa-files.org/en/;
- www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56340159;
- www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-30175925.

Category : Algeria Music Videos

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