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Although declaring war on social problems has become popular among politicians, these metaphors rarely translate into better results and can frequently lead politicians to cling to failing policies.
In the wake of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, there remains a great deal of uncertainty about what kind of damage has been done to several of the country’s nuclear energy plants and what the potential outcome of that damage will be.
Although the nuclear reactor crisis in Japan will likely launch a debate about safety, there are stark differences between Japan and the United States in the environmental scenarios that must be considered when designing U.S. nuclear reactors.
If nuclear plants damaged in Japan's recent earthquake cannot be cooled and their cores begin to melt, it could potentially cause one of the most serious nuclear accidents in history.
Japanese engineers are attempting to find ways to cool the nuclear reactor core at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi reactors, in order to prevent a nuclear meltdown.
While passive safety features ensured that Japan's Fukushima reactors automatically shut off after the earthquake struck, the core remains hot even after the nuclear chain reaction ceases. If the core cannot be cooled, there could be potentially dangerous repercussions.
Although Japan's nuclear reactors in Fukushima have shut down, the fuel rods remain hot. If the coolant system does not function properly, the fuel rods could overheat, posing a real danger.
Although Japan's Fukushima reactors have been shut down, their fuel rods still need to cool down, so that the remaining water meant to cool the core does not boil and expose the radioactive rods.
As the international community pursues a range of activities to help end the violence in Libya, analysts and politicians should avoid creating a false dichotomy between imposing a no-fly zone on the country and doing nothing to prevent the deaths of Libyan civilians.
Egypt’s growing middle class, large civil society, and well-developed state institutions may enable it to achieve a successful democratic transition.