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Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

Condescension is not a good basis for foreign policy

December 19, 2007 By Rod Adams

I read a comment yesterday that provided another data point on the need for American leaders to take a hard look at the way they view the rest of the world. The below comment appeared in a Spiegel Online International (an English language web site out of Germany) article titled Atomic Aid from Russia: Iran Receives Nuclear Fuel in Blow to US. The article was a reprint from a New York Times article. Here is the quote that concerned me:

The Bush administration took pains not to criticize the Russian move publicly, even expressing support for outside supplies if that led Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment program.

“If the Russians are willing to do that, which I support, then the Iranians do not need to learn how to enrich,” President Bush said Monday. “If the Iranians accept that uranium for a civilian nuclear power plant, then there’s no need for them to learn how to enrich.”

Think about that for a bit. Iran is a country with a long and rich history dating back thousands of years. It has been a bit participant in the world’s energy business for at least the last 70 years. Why should our president ASSUME that the ability to purchase fuel from a country like Russia negates the natural desire of Iranian engineers, scientists and BUSINESSMEN to learn everything they can about a lucrative industry that shows stong potential for substantial growth during the next 50 or more years?

Repeated examples of condescension provide some reasons why there are so many people who do not have much respect for the current direction of American foreign policy. Dissing others is not a good way to win friends and influence people.

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About Rod Adams

Rod Adams is Managing Partner of Nucleation Capital, a venture fund that invests in advanced nuclear, which provides affordable access to this clean energy sector to pronuclear and impact investors. Rod, a former submarine Engineer Officer and founder of Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., which was one of the earliest advanced nuclear ventures, is an atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience. He has engaged in technical, strategic, political, historic and financial analysis of the nuclear industry, its technology, regulation, and policies for several decades through Atomic Insights, both as its primary blogger and as host of The Atomic Show Podcast. Please click here to subscribe to the Atomic Show RSS feed. To join Rod's pronuclear network and receive his occasional newsletter, click here.

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