As the United States government does what it can to halt Iran’s nuclear program, it may be suspected that it is seeking to build up its own nuclear industry, denying Iran the capacity to develop its own technology while pressuring it to open itself up for US technological export and to become dependent on it. That suspicion, however, is not exactly justified, as far as the part about US development of US industry is concerned. The US government has no integrated energy and industrial policy to match its foreign policy. The US power elite’s commitment to deregulation and liberalization, more often than not, trumps the rhetoric of “national security” through “energy security” marshaled to forge the consensus for their foreign policy. “The notion that taxpayer-backed loan guarantees for more nuclear power means energy independence in the United States is a hoax that could cost unwary U.S. taxpayers tens of billions of dollars while richly benefiting profitable foreign corporations and non-U.S. workers,” according to a report just published by Nuclear Information & Resource Service (see below). — Ed.
For more information, visit <www.nirs.org>. See, also, Matthew L. Wald, “Companies Bet on Rise in Demand for Uranium” (New York Times, 18 June 2010); and Keith Bradsher, “Fuel Maker for Reactors Has China as Investor” (New York Times, 18 June 2010).
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