Because of the petro-dollar, the US has a vested interest in maintaining an oil-based world economy and not wanting a transition to fusion. The "petro-dollar agreement" by Nixon in 1974 with Saudi Arabia solidified the US dollar as world trade currency, giving the US an incredible economic advantage (effectively outsourcing US debt and inflation to the rest of the world). So it's no surprise the investment in fusion in the US has been minuscule (0.1% of the $830B 2023 US military budget). If the US were serious about it, we might have an effort on the scale Kennedy's 1960's man-on-the-moon.
Because of the petro-dollar, the US has a vested interest in maintaining an oil-based world economy and not wanting a transition to fusion. The "petro-dollar agreement" by Nixon in 1974 with Saudi Arabia solidified the US dollar as world trade currency, giving the US an incredible economic advantage (effectively outsourcing US debt and inflation to the rest of the world). So it's no surprise the investment in fusion in the US has been minuscule (0.1% of the $830B 2023 US military budget). If the US were serious about it, we might have an effort on the scale Kennedy's 1960's man-on-the-moon.