2011 November 16 « nuclear-news

The psychology of attitudes in Iran to nuclear power

what about Ahmadinejad’s promise to “wipe Israel off the face of the map?” Several problems exist with the idea.

Firstly, scholars of the Persian language say that his oft-cited words have been mistranslated and taken out of context. Ahmadinejad was actually quoting the revolutionary regime’s founder, Ayatollah Khoemeni, not making a policy statement.. (Read here for more on this dispute).

The Threat of a Nuclear Theocracy, Act II. Slate, By Michael Moran , Nov. 15, 2011 As the U.S. debate over Iran’s nuclear program has heated up, an issue of war and peace is being framed in a very dangerous way. The United States, with all its other problems right now, must get this right, because all options on Iran’s nuclear program are laden with risk, and the truth is very inconvenient.

The debate—roughly sanctions and diplomacy versus airstrikes—fails to acknowledge some important facts, the most important of which is that neither a military option—short of the lunacy of an all-out invasion of Iran—nor diplomacy will guarantee that Iran won’t soon gatecrash the nuclear club. Continue reading →

November 16, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, psychology - mental health | Leave a comment

P5 nations may become part of ASEAN’s Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ),

Nuclear nations to mull ASEAN nuke-free zone, Desy Nurhayati and Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali |, 11/16/2011 , The so-called P5 group of nuclear nations have agreed to consider ASEAN’s invitation to join its Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free
Zone (SEANWFZ), according to a top Indonesian diplomat.

“Now that the P5 and ASEAN have the same draft to discuss, we hope we can move quickly to the signing stage,” Foreign Ministry chief for ASEAN cooperation Djauhari Oratmangun told the media here on Tuesday. Observers have praised ASEAN under Indonesia’s leadership for itsprogress in persuading the P5 — China, France, Russia, the UK and the
US — to consider becoming parties to the nuclear weapon-free zone. Continue reading →

November 16, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | ASIA, politics international | Leave a comment

Tough opposition in India against nuclear power

Activists sound alarm bells over India’s nuclear future, ABC Radio AM By Indian correspondent Richard Lindell November 16, 2011 India’s government has predictably welcomed Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s idea that Australia open up its uranium sales, but at home, India’s plans to expand its nuclear industry continue to face tough opposition.

From Jaitapur in the west to Koodankulam in the south, locals are protesting against nuclear power plants in their backyards.Residents who fear India could be the scene of a Fukushima have clashed with police, while others have resorted to hunger strikes.

India for Nuclear Disarmament co-founder Praful Bidwai says Japan has shown the world how disastrous nuclear power can be.

“If an advanced and relatively large nuclear power state like Japan can have a nuclear catastrophe, then a backward country like India is even more likely to witness a nuclear catastrophe in the 20 reactors that we have,” he said.

“The second big lesson I think is … about the inherently hazardous nature of nuclear power generation, which is the only form of energy production anywhere on Earth which is capable of undergoing a catastrophic accident.”…..India has not made Ms Gillard’s sales job any easier. On the day Ms Gillard announced her position on sales of uranium for peaceful purposes, India test-fired a nuclear-ready missile into international waters off the Bay of Bengal.

November 16, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

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