The End of the Nuclear Era? Not So Fast … via Common Dreams.org

by Sandy LeonVest

(excerpts)

Less widely reported is that, even as Germany, Japan and a handful of other countries — among them, Italy, Switzerland and some ASEAN member states — are rejecting or at least reconsidering their commitments to nuclear power, many more (including the US) are still on the nuclear fast track.

Russia, India, Brazil, some Middle Eastern oil economies and a host of developing countries number among those still hot to go nuclear. And the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported recently that more than 60 new countries have expressed “strong interest” in nuclear power — among them, Iran, which is very close to commissioning its first reactor. The IAEA further promised that global use of nuclear energy will continue to increase for decades — despite the ongoing crisis at Fukushima.

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Here in the US, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Obama administration intends to resume talks on “nuclear cooperation” with Saudi Arabia. WSJ reported in July that the administration has promised to send a team of State Department and Department of Energy officials to Riyadh this summer to discuss “plans for pursuing nuclear power” with senior Saudi officials.

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