Vol. 75/No. 14      April 11, 2011

To the editor,

Today there is an unfolding catastrophe in Japan brought on by capitalist greed. Nuclear power plants are melting down because of cost-cutting measures of the Japanese government, Tokyo Electric, and the General Electric Corporation. As this crisis unfolds, I believe it is useful to review the position of the Socialist Workers Party with respect to nuclear power, found in an article by Jack Barnes in New International no. 13 titled Our Politics Start with the World. Barnes states: “The communist movement does not have ‘a position on nuclear power’ for or against.”

Clearly working people have an interest in defending the right of people throughout the semicolonial world to develop electrification. Without it, large areas of the world lack goods and services that working people in the developed world take for granted. Clearly we can imagine a future where nuclear power might operate safely and supply the world with vast sources of energy.

However, in light of the unfolding catastrophe in Japan, a basic question must be asked. In today’s world, dominated by imperialist property relations, can nuclear power be operated in a safe manner? Even if the answer is yes, which is doubtful, we need to recall that the Israeli Air Force bombed a nuclear power plant in Iraq. While the plant was not on line, given the history of imperialist military actions, there is no guarantee that in the future the imperialist armed forces would not bomb an active nuclear power plant.

We might consider that all sources of electrical power run by capitalist property relations are dangerous. Thousands of people die or have respiratory problems every year from inhaling fumes of coal-fired plants. But the unfolding catastrophe in Japan makes it clear that nuclear power is the most potentially dangerous form of electrical power.

So my question is: Would the SWP consider an alternative position, which is that today, given that imperialist property relations dominate the world, that nuclear power is inherently unsafe?

Steve Halpern, Philadelphia
 
 
Related articles:
Why communists fight to close gap in workers’ conditions in imperialist, semicolonial worlds
Nuclear power will expand worldwide. Question is: Which class will rule?  
 
 
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