A right to national nuclear power
Arab states must explore all means to get energy rather than deplete their resources.
The pursuit of peaceful nuclear energy is not a contradiction for nations that have oil reserves. The US, for example, has both oil reserves and nuclear energy to power its domestic economy. Providing safeguards are maintained and it is fully accountable to international standards, then nuclear energy is one of the cleanest most efficient types of energy.
Oil in the ground does not automatically preclude a country from having a nuclear industry. Oil is a finite resource which is diminished daily. The Gulf states have a right and a duty to provide for their increasing energy needs as populations increase. The head of the UN atomic watchdog agency, Mohammad Al Baradei, endorses this view. There are other types of energy, such as solar and wind power which can be harnessed. These too are being examined, but these fledgling industries are too early in their formation to guarantee sufficient energy. In years to come they will develop reliable and cheaper energy. But meanwhile, nuclear energy, once safeguards are in place and accountable, is tried and tested, with the result that more than a hundred nations depend on it. The Gulf needs more energy and the nuclear option is at least worthy of consideration.
