Letters to the Editor: We should be investing in nuclear energy here in the U.S., not in Saudi Arabia
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To the editor: The Trump administration’s decision to greenlight the expansion of Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear program is dubious, to say the least (“Standoff with Iran prompts a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia,” July 22). This agreement surrenders one of the key pieces of leverage we had to encourage Saudi-Israeli normalization, and potentially undermines a longstanding U.S. policy against nonproliferation in the Middle East.
America certainly needs Saudi Arabia’s cooperation to contain the hostile Iranian regime, but U.S.-Saudi security ties were already in both countries’ mutual interest before this agreement. It seems unwise to make a gift this big, even to a strategic partner, without a tangible outline of accompanying oversight mechanisms.
Furthermore, for the life of me, I cannot understand why American financing and investment should prioritize expanding nuclear energy on the other side of the world when the United States itself badly needs to expand domestic nuclear infrastructure. Major fossil fuel projects remain as politically contentious as ever, and many renewables are too expensive or unreliable to be viable in the market without serious government subsidies.
Nuclear power promises the clean, reliable energy that our country needs now more than ever. It is past time to adopt the “all-of-the-above” approach when it comes to energy, and that begins with modernizing our approach to nuclear energy at home.
Charlie Henry, Palm Desert
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To the editor: I was a bit stunned to read that President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced their agreement to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.
This is the same Saudi leader who, as concluded by the CIA, ordered the brutal killing of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018. This is the same Saudi Arabia famous for the alleged mass killing of migrants. This country also has a record-high number of executions.
Fifteen of the 19 9/11 hijackers called Saudi Arabia home before perpetrating those horrendous acts. Saudi Arabia is known for its systemic suppression of speech. And we are sending their leaders nuclear know-how?
Trump does nothing for free. What could he be getting out of this deal? And what country is on the waitlist for similar largesse? North Korea?
Jerry Lasnik, Thousand Oaks
