As oil soars, a rethink on nuclear power

As oil prices soar, so will demands for atomic energy. Iran knows this and Americans should, too. Why it’s time to rethink the global approach to nuclear proliferation.

…Ah, but why does Iran, with all its oil, need nuclear power at all? The answer is straightforward: oil and gas are just too valuable to continue wasting on Iran’s internal consumption. Oil is also a finite resource; nuclear energy is not. Acts of God can make the lights go out, but they won’t make them go on. So over the long term Iran expects it will have to rely on atomic energy for its continued development, and it’s not alone. Eighty per cent of France’s electricity comes from nuclear power plants, for instance, and many countries are reaching the conclusion that the atom will be a key to their survival. In a generation or two, whoever controls the ability to make nuclear fuel could well control the world.
The Iranians play to that fear among developing countries with their talk about the “inalienable right”