ABSTRACT
The conference papers collected in this volume reveal a broad consensus on general principles. First, there is general agreement that the Atoms for Peace concept was a bold, as well as pragmatic, response to the problems of dealing with a new technology that offers both great opportunities and grave dangers. If expectations about the benefits of nuclear energy have dimmed in the past decade, there remains general agreement that nuclear energy offers opportunities that should not be foreclosed. There is also assent to the proposition that further proliferation could reduce the hopes of enjoying the benefits of the peaceful atom. And, with some notable exceptions, it is generally held that Atoms for Peace remains a sound basis for nuclear energy and nonproliferation policy in the United States and abroad, despite the difficulties encountered in the last decade and the necessity of doing more in the decades ahead.
