Science & Diplomacy – International Fusion Energy Cooperation
Science & Diplomacy – International Fusion Energy Cooperation
By Todd Harding, Melanie Khanna, Raymond Orbach | 09 March 2012
ITER as a Case Study in Science and Diplomacy
The goal of developing a clean, limitless source of energy has long been an elusive pursuit for energy scientists. Yet it did not become an object of potential diplomatic endeavor until the end of the Cold War, when the diffusion of conflict made scientific partnerships and joint projects between the United States and the former Soviet Union conceivable.
Immediately following the standoff over nuclear disarmament at the Reykjavik Summit in October 1986, a proposal to implement the concept of a fusion experimental research facility, to be known as ITER, was made. (ITER was originally an acronym for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.) This led to the 1988 start of collective design efforts known as the ITER Conceptual Design Activities. Almost two decades later, the ITER Organization was established, with construction beginning in Cadarache, France, supported by seven international partners: China, the European Union, India, Japan, the Russian Federation, South Korea, and the United States.
The road towards the construction of ITER, and the establishment of the ITER Organization, the international organization charged with its construction and operation, makes a fascinating case study in the intersection of science and diplomacy for large-scale, capital-intensive international projects.
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