Sarkozy Conquers the Middle East… With Nuclear Energy
Filed under: Energy, Foreign Affairs, France, Lead Story, Middle East, Nuclear Energy — Michael van der Galien on January 20, 2008 @ 8:49 pm CET
After the depressive years under Jacques Chirac, France finally has a leader who wants France to play a major role on the international stage.
That’s right, France is back. After the depressive years under Jacques Chirac, France finally has a leader who wants France to play a major role on the international stage. Nicolas Sarkozy has just signed nuclear deals with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Libya, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco.
What’s the deal all about? Well, basically France will build nuclear reactors in the countries mentioned above, to ensure that these countries aren’t very dependent on oil anymore. These reactors will be build and owned by companies that are, to a large extent, in their turn owned by the French government. Countries in which no reactors will be build as such, will simply buy the energy from France / the French reactors in other countries.
“Why should Arab countries be deprived of the energy of the future?” Sarkozy asked in an interview with Al Jazeera. Indeed, why? Well, if they want to run everything themselves I’m not very comfortable with the idea, but this deal means that France is involved. It will, therefore, be virtually impossible for those countries to use this energy for less peaceful purposes.
Sarkozy has announced that his plans don’t stop here: he wants to help every country in the world that asks him for help. China, India, Indonesia, Chile, Vietnam and Argentina are, reportedly, also thinking about cutting a deal with France.
And if that’s not enough to convince you that France is, indeed, back, there’s this: Sarkozy has signed a deal with the United Arab Emirates for a permanent French naval base. Abu Dhabi is worried about Iran; France’s naval base will give the country some protection against it’s somewhat aggressive opposite-neighbor.
They signed the deal after the Emirates requested such a naval base.
I’m in total agreement with Sarkozy about nuclear energy: it’s the energy source of the future. Countries that refuse to use it / develop it themselves do so at the expense of their own wallet. Nuclear energy is also quite clean (and these days very safe): this is positive with regards to global warming.
And: sooner or later Middle Eastern countries will want to develop nuclear energy anyway. The best way to deal with it, then, is to help them get it. That way, the West can keep an eye on what they’re doing and, in the meantime, make a few bucks (or in this case billions of dollars).
Fausta correctly summarizes the deals as follows: “Nuclear proliferation, and military expansion, a la francaise.”
1 Sarkozy Conquers the Middle East… With Nuclear Energy · Middle East
January 20, 2008 @ 10:01 pm CET[…] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThat’s right, France is back. After the depressive years under Jacques Chirac, France finally has a leader who wants France to play a major role on the international stage. Nicholas Sarkozy has just signed nuclear deals with Saudi … […]
2 richard
January 21, 2008 @ 5:14 am CETso the real question is WHY DID NOT THE U.S ATTEMPT TO DO WHAT FRANCE IS DOING.IS IT THAT THEY HATE (DISLIKE) US SO MUCH OR IS IT BECAUSE PRES,. BUSH DOES NOT HAVE ANY FORESIGHT OR MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE CHENEY DOES NOT WANT IT FOR WHATEVER REASON.
3 Jason Steck
January 21, 2008 @ 6:04 am CETIt is not Republicans that are opposed to nuclear energy in the United States. It is Democrats.
4 Sensi
January 21, 2008 @ 6:10 am CETFYI this is Nicolas Sarkozy.
5 Desfossez Thomas
January 21, 2008 @ 5:11 pm CETnuclear & carbon are the futur.
With the generation 4 to nuclear reactor, France have a good futur.
(Sorry for my english)
6 Michael van der Galien
January 21, 2008 @ 5:16 pm CETI agree Desfossez.
English: c’est n’est pas un problem.
7 Sensi
January 21, 2008 @ 7:26 pm CET@ Michael
Rather "Ce n’est pas un problème".
8 Jacques
January 22, 2008 @ 1:32 am CETGreat nice deal between France and the US/Middle East! Butnow about selling Peugeot in the US? If not then this is not such a nice deal!
9 melissa
January 27, 2008 @ 11:20 am CET"Well, basically France will build nuclear reactors in the countries mentioned above, to ensure that these countries aren’t very dependent on oil anymore.
Nuclear energy produces electricity. Oil powers cars. Luring Middle East countries to switch to nuclear does NOTHING to their oil use. It can reduce their use of natural gas — which is often used for producing electricity and for desalination of water. However, the screwy notion that switching to nuclear energy lessens oil dependency is ENTIRELY faulty, although frequently used, recently by King Abdullah II of Jordan and others. It’s akin to saying, "I have a hole in my shoe, so I will buy a new hat."
Building nuclear reactors will only give terrorists new site to attack — and may indeed lead to the rise of dirty bombs from radioactive waste, which is known to go "missing" even in the US. Nuclear is being pushed as a new source for energy-sucking desalination — and will kick billions into Western economies. However, solar energy can be used as well — as they are demonstrating in Australia. The pumping up of nuclear is a misguided sales pitch from France and the US that should be ignored. There is still no solution to deal with high-level radioactive waste — the United States previous attempt to recycle it was a costly blunder. Now there is talk of GNEP — the global nuclear energy partnership — which would involve Russia in the role of collecting nuclear waste. This is alarming — and the last time we looked Russia mafia we’re all over the energy sector.