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For fusion, the most meaningful consideration for having the capability to 

 participate in major international cooperations appears to be competitive- 

 ness rather than outright leadership. If a program is to be able to 

 collaborate, it must be comparable in relevant size and comprehensiveness 

 and competitive in terms of ideas and capabilities. Therefore, we are 

 concerned about satisfying the requirements for vigorous competition that 

 lead to substantial international collaboration rather than to world 

 leadership. 



The intrinsic value of being first in fusion science is moot in my opinion 

 for several reasons. First, at this stage of fusion development, being 

 first is nearly impossible to define since the ultimate objective, an 

 economically attractive reactor, is well into the future. The leading 

 nations are easily identified; however, each national program has strengths 

 and weaknesses which are difficult to quantify. Moreover, leadership can 

 mean having the largest research facilities, the most advanced confinement 

 concept experiments, the most comprehensive set of activities, the best 

 integration of experiment and theory, the highest budget or the most stimu- 

 lating innovation. Second, the leading nations have somewhat different 

 plans and approaches so that what is very important for one nation could be 

 undervalued by others. 



Nonetheless, it is clear that, for successful international collaboration, 

 programs must have comparability in the areas of potential interest, leader- 

 ship in at least some of the elements, unique skills worth obtaining and a 

 home base capable of benefitting from the new information. Finally, even if 



