“…For the two superpowers as well as many countries both in Europe and on the 'nuclear periphery' , the development and regulation of nuclear energy offered the possibility to secure economic progress, demonstrate technological prowess, and present themselves as guided by rational, scientific means (Hecht, 1998(Hecht, , 2006Jasanoff and Kim, 2009;Kaijser, 2021;Richers et al, 2018;Welsh, 2000). At the same time, developing or being in the possession of nuclear weapons became the ultimate signature of the geopolitical status of a nation (Hecht, 2006).…”