East-West Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and the Role of the Iaea

Energy is the cornerstone of our technological civilization. In the field of energy, as indeed in many others, security depends on the ability to adapt. Few countries enjoy full economic stability today but the fact that some do, and that others hope to achieve it in the foreseeable future, is due in no small measure to a series of changes in energy technology. The switches from wood to coal and from coal to oil and natural gas, as well as the growth in use of electricity, provided the necessary conditions for revolu­tionary changes in industry, transport and communications. Strength and efficiency in these sectors are viewed as essential to economic stability.