Obama's Nuclear Challenge

By: Meir Javedanfar

22/01/2009

Barack Obama has several challenges ahead of him. One of them is the energy policy. The recent gas crisis brought about by Russia shows that Moscow is not afraid to use its energy muscle, in the all important European market.

America uses NATO to encroach on Russia's sphere of influence; Moscow uses gas to repay the favor. One of the methods to fight back for America will be investment in renewable sources. The less Europe depends on Russian gas, the less leverage Moscow will have.

But what about the Middle East?

While many local government are asleep, the UAE has decided to lead the way. According to a recent article in the Abu Dhabi based The National:

"Abu Dhabi will become a founding member of a global organisation dedicated to renewable energy and aggressively push to have the group’s headquarters in the emirate, the chief executive of Masdar said on Wednesday.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will lead a delegation to Bonn, Germany, next week to sign the founding treaty of the International Agency for Renewable Energies (Irena), said Dr Sultan al Jaber, the Masdar chief who will also attend".

What is interesting about this project is that 40 countries will become members of the organization, and as part of their membership, they will share information on technology and development on energy renewal technologies.

This decision by the UAE shows that it is ready to face the inevitable.

There is also its other decision by the UAE; to build a nuclear power plant. Although wind and solar are the most efficient methods to wean energy sources from oil and coal, according to increasing evidence, they are not yet ready to do so. The most recommended stop gap is nuclear energy, despite its risks. This is another challenge which Obama will need to manage.