Of Bombs and Reactors: Framing Nuclear Dualism in Public Discourse

• In Event: Ethical and Security Implication of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies

Abstract

The possible diversion of nuclear materials from energy programs into weapons construction is a well-covered subject in the study of nuclear security. Rather than centering the technical problems of dual-use, this paper tracks how the idea of nuclear dualism has changed throughout the nuclear age and how both state actors and civil society groups frame the military and civilian potentials of nuclear technology. Early framings centered around “dual pathways” of peaceful and destructive use to shift away from the specter of nuclear annihilation. In the 1970s, anti-nuclear activists challenged this dualism and successfully tied together energy and weaponry in public discourse. More recently, pro-nuclear activists contest this connection. Through historical analysis and interviews with contemporary pro- and anti-nuclear activists, this paper tracks how framings of nuclear dual-use inform public views on nuclear technology and argues that dual-use should be treated not only as a technical problem but as a matter of framing.

Author

• Sidra Hamidi, Trinity College