p Problems arising from the peaceful uses of nuclear energy worry millions of people and are the subject of heated discussions since they cause concern among politicians, the scientific community and the public at large in many countries of the world.

p Mastering the secrets of nuclear energy has been the greatest feat achieved by modern science, and the road to this historic event was paved with brilliant scientific discoveries and sometimes even the tragic deaths of selfless researchers.

p However, the first time the tremendous energy hidden in the nucleus of an atom was used, it was for annihilating hundreds of thousands of people. The US top brass succeeded in getting their way and dropped atomic bombs on Japanese towns to prove the world that the United States possessed the weapons of colossal destructive power which, they believed, no one else had and would hardly ever obtain. Such is the nature of capitalism, where the results of scientific discoveries are not used for the people’s well-being but, on the contrary, bring great dangers that can destroy human civilisation and even life itself as we know it on this planet.

Today, the peaceful uses of nuclear energy represent one of the most urgent needs since they can open up the way for solving many of the most complex global problems. However, under certain political conditions the development of nuclear energy may open the door for the extensive dissemination of nuclear weapons. Nuclear power plants must be reliably protected from any attempts by a hostile power to destroy them. There exist many links between the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and international security. This sometimes gives rise to certain public opposition in some Western countries against the development of all types of nuclear energy, even including their peaceful uses, as 352 some "absolute evil" which threatens humanity with the prospect of enormous sufferings. Such views, however, irrespective of their origins, run counter to scientific facts.