The International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) was created in the 1950s just as global passions were heating up about the escalating Cold War between the US and the USSR. The initial genesis for the organization came from a speech entitled, "Atoms for Peace" by President Eisenhower presented to the United Nations General Assembly on December 8, 1953. Twelve years and one day after the "date that will live in infamy," the world was indeed a very scary place with many private citizens building backyard bomb shelters and children practicing "duck and cover" drills at school.  Mention the word "nuclear" and people would finish it in their mind with the word "bomb."  The celebration after the end of the World War II was indeed short-lived, as the period at the end of one chapter in human history was quickly weaved into a question mark. In an effort to change the momentum away from fear and toward promise, 81 nations banded together in 1956 to form the IAEA.  During the decades that followed, however, managing the schizophrenic nature of Nuclear Fission would prove more of a practical challenge than just a PR challenge, compounded by competing political and "control" interests of both developed and developing nations. During this time, the IAEA attemtped to draw and redraw the line between the promise of nuclear energy and the fear of nuclear proliferation. In 2007, while smack in the middle of addressing the "loose canon" nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea, the IAEA turned 50 years old and found themselves in a new and revitalized role of managing nuclear issues in a post-9-11 world.  For many people worldwide, news stories about Iran and North Korea have introducted them to the IAEA for the first time.  Again, the IAEA finds themselves redrawing the line between the two different flavors of power ambition (energy and political).  In the new age, many people finish the word "nuclear" with the word "terrorist," and regional fears are escalating again.  At the same time, a recent spike in global oil prices has caused leaders worldwide to revisit nuclear energy as a potential solution to their dependence on foreign oil, and global warming fears have lead to increased awarenes of the need to reduce our carbon footprints from energy production. Which countries and/or organizations exactly will take the leadership role in defining a new nuclear age is still unclear, but the role of the IAEA thus far has been impressive.  As a primer, we suggest reading the 1997 40th Anniversary IAEA publication, the History of the IAEA, and the 2008 vision statement, the 20/20 Vision of the Future (which is about the role the IAEA could play through the year 2020).