Nuclear power and nuclear weapons: the connection is dangerous

Part one of a two-part article points out that responsible nuclear advocates recognized the proliferation risks associated with the benefits of nuclear power and that the weapons connection should be included in the evaluation of energy-strategy choices. Analysts who emphasize only political motivations for acquiring nuclear weapons ignore the technical and economic barriers that can slow their spread, as well as the costs of failure. The author explains how these factors interact and how a commercial nuclear-power capability lowers the technical, economic, and political barriers. He concludes that the technological base of nuclear weaponry is already widespread, and outlines six approaches to keep it from getting worse: (1) strengthen international treaties; (2) strengthen guarantees to non-weapons states; (3) upgrade international safeguards; (4) develop proliferation-resistant fuel cycles; (5) act unilaterally and multilaterally to restrict proliferation and punish proliferative acts; and (6) develop and encourage non-nuclear options