Following a two-day visit to Russia to sign energy agreements, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said last month his country is ready to develop nuclear power—a prospect that troubles military and environmental experts. Speaking at a political rally in Caracas on Sept. 28, Chávez said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had offered to help Venezuela build a nuclear reactor. “We certainly are interested in developing nuclear energy, for peaceful ends of course—for medical purposes and to generate electricity,” Chávez said. “Brazil has various nuclear reactors, as does Argentina. We will have ours as well.” Venezuela has sought assistance in developing nuclear reactors from both Iran and Argentina in the past in an effort to show it is a “green country” that is serious... [Log in to read more]