ammonnews.net

By Madeleine Mezagopian

"If you want safety, do not have Nuclear Reactor."
"There is need for increasing amount of electricity."
"There is fixed international law pertinent secure usage of the Nuclear Energy."
"Consensus on Humanitarian Initiative aiming at stressing the humanitarian hazardous ramifications of nuclear facilities is challenged."


Clear messages delivered by a sceptic physicist, advocates of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and a researcher on Non-proliferation policies respectively during the Amman Security Colloquium organized by the Arab Institute for Security Studies and sponsored by Dutch and Austrian governments, the EU and by the Atomic Reporters. Whereas relevant experts highlighted four actors to gain relevance when introducing such a facility: the state and officials, industrialists, the media and the people, in addition to states being obliged to issue local legislations regulating the usage of nuclear energy.

In Jordan, the birth of the Green Party coincided with escalated official efforts to introduce nuclear power utility. The former motivated by and targeting Jordanians' wellbeing enhanced through safe and clean environment prioritizing human security while rejecting and resisting, inter alia, the introduction of nuclear energy facility while the latter seeking greater energy security as well as lower electricity prices.

Keeping in mind the safe usage of nuclear power being stipulated in the international law, the above insights of pertinent experts to be borrowed to test the feasibility of Jordan introducing such a utility through putting forward the following inquires:


-Why the Humanitarian Initiative is being challenged by key global actors?
-Can Jordan secure its people safety and a nuclear reactor simultaneously?
-Has Jordan adequately invested all other safe energy generating resources foremost the solar energy to opt nuclear energy?
-How can the usage of nuclear energy be secure when natural disasters with colossal devastating impact on such facilities are unavoidable?
-Are the four actors equally present in introducing Jordan's nuclear facility primarily its people?
-If national law is to regulate such sources of energy, who is the owner of such a law, the parliament or the people at large through a referendum which is warranted whenever a decision involves national security and national safety?
-But are the people well informed to decide on such a crucial issue which touches upon national interest and national security?
-Is resorting to nuclear energy environment and budget friendly?
-Last but not least, is the acquisition of such a national facility more feasible and welcomed than seeking an Arab regional nuclear power reactor where Arab expertise and resources be concerted to best serve Arabs' interests where safety, security and needs can well meet?


While these inquiries in itself indicate the corresponding answers, entering into a constructive dialogue among the experts with the involvement of the media people and the civil society does represent a solid point of departure to disseminate clear comprehensive knowledge in a simplified language targeting big majority of the people to prepare them getting engaged in a referendum. This process foremost represents democratization of a crucial decision of immense impact on the welfare of the people, allowing the owners of their own destiny to decide themselves how best to enhance their wellbeing.



* Madeleine Mezagopian Academic Researcher, Adviser and Analyst, Conflict Resolution/Peace and
Socioeconomic and Political Development.