Soviet nuclear energy: domestic and international policies

Research on Soviet nuclear export policies comprises one element of Rand's studies of comparative nuclear nonproliferation policies of major supplier nations. Soviet views on the dispersion of nuclear technology and attitudes toward the spread of nuclear weapons are rarely accorded more than a passing reference in discussions of nuclear energy and international security. But Soviet nuclear export policies are significant for a variety of reasons. The Soviet Union is the principal nuclear technology supplier to many COMECON countries, and a long-standing proponent of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968. The Soviet Union is the largest supplier of nuclear enrichment services to Western Europe, and a supplier of heavy water to India. Soviet commitments to nuclear-fuel-cycle deployments and attitudes toward the international regulation of technology transfer can affect the efficacy of international policies designed to separate the uses of nuclear technology for electricity production and for weapons production. Analysts of Soviet energy policies, nuclear nonproliferation policies, and comparative strategies for limiting dependence on oil imports will find information in this study that is not otherwise available in convenint form in any single public report. This report is limited to information that could be obtained from public sources. 4 figures, 19 tables