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Give your views on the policy ‘Atoms for Peace’. |
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Answer» (i) US nuclear policies had failed to prevent further nuclear proliferation, fuelled the arms race, suppressed the humanitarian benefits of civil nuclear technology and badly affected the development of the US nuclear industry. (ii) In his “Atoms for Peace” speech of 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower captured the tensions and the ironies of the atomic age. (iii) Eisenhower believed only nuclear preparedness offered protection; while nuclear weapons lead to war. Nuclear power offered progress and hope. (iv) However, the motives behind Atoms for Peace extended beyond non-proliferation, arms control, and economic interests. (v) Objective of the Eisenhower Administration was to set USA advantageously against USSR. (vi) He envisaged to permit privatization and commercialization of fuel technologies, cooperation with foreign partners, and international nuclear commerce. (vii) Ultimately, Atoms for Peace yielded billions of dollars in civil nuclear commerce for the US economy. (viii) Atoms for Peace provided political cover for the biggest nuclear arms build up in US history, and helped fuel the Cold War arms race. |
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