Former Ambassador: Time to "take nuclear power seriously"

From a symposium on energy issues held last night at the University of Wyoming in Laramie:

Francois Dickman of Laramie, former ambassador to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, said OPEC's oil exports had declined from as high as 38 billion barrels in recent years to as low as 30 billion. He said this and other developments, coupled with the emergence of China as a major player, pose "a serious threat," and suggested that the United States should "take nuclear power seriously."

Edward B. Barbier, a UW professor of economics, asked, "Do we really want to be in the position of supporting a ruthless dictator because he is the enemy of our enemy?" He said this has been "part of our foreign policy for 20 years."

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