Politics, People and the Era of Nuclear Energy

Japan and India are quickly moving forward with agreements pertaining to greater cooperation in nuclear energy based on provisions in the previous Indo-US agreement of 2006. India's shift towards nuclear energy has been picking up due to the increasing energy demands of the large population. This growing energy demand however has not dampened the development of opposition to such expansion.  People protesting against the further use and creation of nuclear power plants in India are especially concerned with Japan's involvement due to its recent Fukushima disaster. The interesting aspect of this debate centers on the constructivist perspective. You can clearly see the proliferation of ideas and networks spreading through both India and Japan. Both the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) and the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) have been extremely active in India, condemning the expansion of their nuclear program and the prospect of Indo-Japanese cooperation.  The concept of transparency is also highlighted, a prime example being how the decisions in Japan regarding nuclear energy are made directly by the prime minister and not parliament, all of this maintained behind closed doors. The lack of transparency also plagues India with the example of nuclear regulatory agencies being funded by the groups they are supposed to be regulating. The whole shroud of secrecy surrounding both countries is of serious concern to many people due to the potential of another Fukushima or Chernobyl like event happening. People feel like they have the right to know the truth especially when there is the potential for disaster, and who's to blame them? To me this article supremely highlights the unique power struggle dynamic between the people and those in leadership roles, for it seems those opposed to it are being disregarded and the policies are still being advanced. This shows the weakness of constructivist theory for this particular case. Even in a strong democratic state, like Japan, there seems to be a disconnect between the people and leaders. Though ideas and networks can play a crucial role in politics today, it seems that for the case of Indo-Japanese nuclear cooperation the traditional power of the state has effectively marginalized the voices of the opposition.

http://www.globalissues.org/news/2014/02/01/18182