The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

The insights of the Global South

It has been suggested, by President Trump among others, that Iran has no need to develop nuclear energy, because it has ample reserves of oil. But any nation with the political will to develop its economy in the long run would not want to depend on the production and exportation of finite reserves of fossil fuels. It would want to utilize the income generated by exportation of oil and natural gas to develop a diverse economy that includes various scientifically advanced sectors.

Such a diverse, scientifically advanced economy could well include significant production of nuclear energy. Although wind and solar energy have been favored by the Left in recent years, these sectors may not have the capacity to generate the growing energy needs of humanity, especially if the world-system can transform its neocolonial structures in favor of a more widely distributed economic development throughout the world. If nuclear energy can advance in a manner that effectively prevents risks of accidents…