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That isn't how They would do it were They to set Their face against fusion.

They'd just make people afraid: Focus on how it's nuclear, how it's dangerous, and get the people to want it banned. A few laws in some key jurisdictions and it's over, and the scientists can rant as much as they want, it'll never be a problem again.

Of course, all of that partakes of the comforting illusion there even is a Them in the world.

This is like the "great-man" theory applied to scientific research. Even if this were to happen, I don't think it would matter much in the long term. The scientific community seems to independently come up with the same or similar solutions to the problems being concentrated on.

We'll see the same thing we see around fission. Lobbying and fear mongering. Politicians lining their pockets in exchange for delaying and blocking and refusing to fund fusion.