OPINION | DAVID HESS
Nuclear for peace At the beginning of 2026 we must be prepared to fight (metaphorically
speaking at least) to protect the relative peace so many of us have grown accustomed to, and to create it for others. Can we use nuclear energy to drive progress and build goodwill between nations?
David Hess, Senior VP DeepGeo
T’S A NEW YEAR (upon putting pen to paper) and naturally thoughts turn to what the future holds. The prospects for nuclear energy globally are unquestionably bright – perhaps brighter than ever in the light of growing energy demand, climate change and energy security concerns. And yet geopolitics and world events are casting a shadow over all of us. This could potentially
impact major energy and infrastructure developments. Let’s start with Europe, where the Russia-Ukraine
war has persisted for nearly four years – almost as long as World War One. While hostilities have remained contained mostly within the borders of these countries, the conflict has nevertheless raised fears about future Russian aggression, with several Eastern European nations wondering if they are next in the firing line. The recent wave of Russian drone sightings and airspace violations have only fanned these fears. The longer conflicted has persisted, the greater the rift between the sides has become. The rhetoric of
©Alexy Kovynev
war has steadily increased, with European countries vowing to improve their readiness. Alarmingly, in December the head of NATO Mark Rutte was quoted as saying that “Europe should prepare for the scale of war our grandparents and great grandparents endured”. The NATO alliance used to be held up as a bastion of regional security, but with the US apparently stepping back it now looks fragile. The Middle East remains in a state of rage about the actions of Israel in Palestine, where more than 70,000 people have allegedly been killed since the military campaign began. Things were provoked further on December 26 when Israel recognised the nationhood of Somaliland. While the international recognition of Somaliland is arguably long overdue, the fact the process has been led by Israel has sparked backlash from the Islamic world and the African Union. Speculation remains rife that China intends to invade
Taiwan, and while thankfully this has not happened, the Chinese military has steadily expanded its presence in the South China sea, deploying it largest ever naval presence last year. China is also, if reports are to be believed, attempting to increase its territory in the Himalayas and in the Russian far-east. In South East Asia, the outbreak of hostilities last July between Thailand and Cambodia has displaced more than 500,000 people. As for the USA, the rollercoaster presidency of Donald
Trump continues to polarise citizens, while the country’s traditional allies and trading partners scramble as Trump either threatens tariffs or swings trade ‘deals’ which clearly put US interests first. Not to be left out of the expansionist club, Trump has repeatedly made statements that the US should take control of Greenland for reasons of US national security. The US has also captured Venezuelan President Maduro, and apparently taken over certain parts of that country’s infrastructure. This covers some of the more well-known conflicts
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and tensions, but there are, alas, many others. The number of regional conflicts has been rising. In 2024,
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