By Isabelle Anstey
F
orty years ago scientists under the Thar Desert in northwest In the years immediately following the 1974 test, the India activated a nuclear explosive device for the first time. United States and six other leading nuclear suppliers met in LonThey did so using material they had imported, legally, from Cadon in secret to establish a set of guidelines on how exports of nada and the United States, purportedly for a civilian nuclear sensitive nuclear technology should be controlled. The resulting energy program. The Indian test, or “Peaceful Nuclear ExplosNuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is today the primary tool for deion,” marked India’s entry into the nuclear club, only four years veloping and strengthening nuclear export controls in an effort to after the entry into force of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty contain proliferation while maintaining the peaceful use of nuclear (NPT) was supposed to have closed energy. The Fukushima Daiichi nuthat club to new members. The In- “The NPT is at best unclear and at worst clear disaster has had a mixed impact dia test highlighted what some sciendeliberately ambiguous on what a state is on the nuclear energy sector, but tists had understood since the 1940s: while the “renaissance” much talked entitled to do in pursuit of peaceful the nuclear technology that led to about in the early 21st century may the production of energy was inhehave been delayed, perhaps indefiuses of nuclear energy.” rently inseparable from that which nitely, nuclear power is not going to led to the production of a bomb. Politicians, however, concluded disappear. While Germany and Italy have pulled out of nuclear it was “unwise to dwell on this consideration, especially since time energy, the UK, Russia, China and others have announced expansmight reveal some way of keeping the two uses distinct.” While ions of their nuclear capacity. Furthermore, new players such as advances in technology have been made, reliable separation of the Turkey, Vietnam, and the UAE are all entering the civilian nuclear two uses remains elusive. In its absence, the non-proliferation energy market, and established energy companies will increasingly regime has struggled to balance the threat of nuclear proliferation face competition from new suppliers like China and India. In an with the benefits, political and commercial, of civilian nuclear environment of geographically expanding nuclear power productenergy. ion under competitive market conditions, mechanisms to control