To compete and thrive in the 21st century, democracies, and the United States in particular, must develop new national security and economic strategies that address the geopolitics of information. In the 20th century, market capitalist democracies geared infrastructure, energy, trade, and even social policy to protect and advance that era’s key source of power—manufacturing. In this century, democracies must better account for information geopolitics across all dimensions of domestic policy and national strategy.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how China’s new power is reaching Europe, the challenges that it poses, and the European responses to this new reality. This process has to be examined in the context of the current strategic competition between China and the U.S. and its reflection on the transatlantic relationship.
SM-1 deactivated nuclear power plant at Fort Belvoir, Virginia: Currently maintained in safe storage, decommissioning planning currently underway, implementation of decommissioning activities anticipated to begin 2020. U.S. Army Photo.
For much of the atomic age, the United States led the world in developing and deploying nuclear technologies. Despite building the world's largest fleet of reactors—99 of which remain operational—and seeding most of the designs built worldwide, US commercial nuclear development has dramatically slowed.
Indeed, the nuclear power industry now faces unprecedented—arguably existential—challenges. The nation's demand for electricity has decreased, and the power distribution grid is rapidly becoming decentralized. Nuclear power is having trouble competing in current deregulated energy markets dominated by low-cost natural gas and renewable energy sources. The industry hasn't been able to build new power plants within budget and in a timely manner, as recent efforts in South Carolina and Georgia illustrate. There are concerns about safety, waste management, and nuclear proliferation. And efforts to develop advanced reactors that might meet these challenges have lagged. The industry can't afford major research and development, and efforts by the Department of Energy, once a prime mover in reactor development, have been moribund as a result of inadequate funding and leadership....
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The full text of this publication is available via the original publication source.
Ford, Michael J, Ahmed Abdulla and M. Granger Morgan. "Nuclear Power Needs Leadership, but Not from the Military." Issues in Science and Technology, (Summer 2018).
