Science Diplomacy at the International Atomic Energy Agency: Isotope Hydrology, Development, and the Establishment of a Technique

This essay examines the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) role in the entry of hydrological isotopic analysis techniques into the developing world. The notion of using radioisotopic tracers for hydrological study came from the initiative of individual scientists, many of whom were interested in measuring the uptake of hydrogen-bomb deposited tritium in the global environment. Their proposals to include isotope hydrology among the range of IAEA activities sparked debate in the IAEA Scientific Advisory Committee and Board of Governors. At stake was not merely the future support of the technique, but the diplomatic role of the IAEA as a provider of atomic energy to the developing world, the relationship of the IAEA to other international institutions, and the articulation of what ‘peaceful uses of atomic energy’ really meant. In the end, the IAEA opted to render conditional support for the landmark Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation and undertook sponsorship of expert panels that brought together isotope specialists and hydrologists. As the essay shows, the IAEA’s agenda for isotope hydrology was not only a matter of technology, linked to instrumentation and technique. As a form of policy entrepreneurship, it also gave the IAEA a new diplomatic role in the larger network of international institutions.