Nuclear Feudalization, How Washington Is Locking the Future of SMR

This geopolitical analysis examines how the emerging struggle over High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) is reshaping the future architecture of civilian nuclear energy and Small Modular Reactor (SMR) deployment. It argues that the current U.S.-led sanctions regime against Russian uranium exports is not merely an instrument of economic pressure, but part of a broader structural reorganization of global nuclear dependency systems. The paper introduces the concept of “nuclear feudalization” to describe the emergence of a hierarchical nuclear order in which access to advanced nuclear technology increasingly depends on external fuel-cycle monopolies controlled by a limited number of geopolitical powers. Unlike the proliferation concerns that dominated post-Cold War nuclear governance, the current phase is characterized by consolidation, restricted technological entry, and supply-chain dependency. Through analysis of HALEU supply chains, Rosatom’s vertically integrated nuclear ecosystem, U.S. sanctions policy, and Indonesia’s strategic commitments under the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, the paper explores how energy transition, geopolitical alignment, and technological sovereignty are becoming increasingly intertwined within the evolving multipolar order.