Many policy makers and scholars have expressed their concern that if iran goes nuclear other middle eastern countries, particularly egypt, saudi arabia, and. Concerns about a nuclear cascade can be avoided if iran is. Nuclear countries are trying to make sure that the other nuclear countries dont get. The mere rumor of a nuclear program in iraq and the thought of saddam hussein supplying his nukes to terrorists was enough to send the united states into a costly war, now in its 14th year, that has upended the middle east. The gcc and the nuclear question oxford institute for energy. Netanyahu warns of mideast nuclear arms race the times. In fact, nationstates in the middle east already are hedging their bets that tehran will one day harbor a nuclear weapons arsenal even if it is an undeclared one, much like that of israel. Nuclear weapons do nothing to protect us from 21st century threats. Nuclear arms race in the middle east apparently its okay with president obama, as long as its not triggered by irans obtaining a nuke. It is impossible to give a nuclear policy talk in the middle east without. On sunday, netanyahu reiterated his belief that that the way to prevent a nuclear arms race in the middle east is to fix the deal from its roots or annul it.
But now the saudi leadership has said that if iran moves towards nuclear weapons, saudi arabia will match it. In five myths about nuclear weapons, ward wilson blows the lid off the stale debate surrounding nuclear weapons, stripping away emotion and. Iran limited its nuclear programme under a 2015 deal with several world powers but us president donald trump has threatened to withdraw from it. Israels alleged cache of nuclear arms is in spotlight again. The middle east s nuclear technology clock is ticking as nations in the region pursue peaceful capabilities that could leave the door open to military options in the future. It is not a signatory to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, and its arsenal has never been inspected by any international agency. Because of this circumstantial evidence, allegations of a saudipakistani nuclear deal started to circulate even in the 1990s, but were denied by saudi officials. Risk of war in the middle east grows after us exit from. The complications arising from these factors in the region are further exacerbated by the us inevitable and constantly increasing. A not so new nuke race in the middle east charged affairs. When obama won, his middle east policy could be summarized as limiting further expansion of u. They noted that their country had signed the nonproliferation treaty, and called for a nuclear free middle east, pointing to israels possession of such weapons.
Irans midnovember announcement that its nuclear program is near completion will likely trigger a nuclear arms race throughout the middle east, with egypt, saudi arabia, turkey and other predominately sunni muslim nations desperately wanting nuclear weapons to defend against shiite irans revolutionary brand of radical islam. Middle east arms race will continue after iran nuke deal. Navy federal credit union financial expert jeanette mack talks about the facts and the myths about your credit score. Irans development of a nuclear weapon wont spur its neighbors to get the bomb. An introduction to international relations, 5 th edition, oxford. In addition to iran, bahrain, egypt, jordan, kuwait, saudi arabia, turkey, oman, qatar, the uae, and yemen, have all expressed interest in. The united states and several european countries, among others, accuse tehran of seeking to build nuclear weapons, or seeking the capability to build them. Indeed, nuclear weapons have helped instigate conflict without even existing. Dumping iran deal opens door to serious nuclear arms race in. A new nuclear arms race is upon us they have expressed a readiness to go nuclear first in a conflict with russia or others that had not yet crossed the nuclear rubicon. There are very good reasons for the international community to meet the challenge that. Saudi arabia and iran have long been rivals in the middle east.
As the only journal that specifically addresses the problems of the mediterranean region, the mediterranean quarterly is in a position to account for many of the crucial developments in international politics and policy that are redefining the world order. But it also points out that the uns failure to make the middle east a nuclear free zone is one of the reasons the kingdom of saudi arabia rejected the offer of. The iran nuclear deal, a joint effort by scientists and diplomats, needs to continue in order to prevent an nuclear arms race in the middle east. Israel gets 5th nukeready sub, arms race in middle east.
Apr 02, 2012 dont fear a nuclear arms race in the middle east the conventional wisdom has it wrong. A history of violence the myth of the moderate kurdish rebel the kurds of the middle east, though embraced by much of the west as idealistic freedom fighters, have committed a range of human. Five myths about nuclear weapons the washington post. In the middle east, these energy dynamics, as well as a desire to match iran s nuclear progress, have ignited and renewed wide spread interest in nuclear energy. Is the middle east heading for a nuclear arms race. Secretary of energy ernest moniz left and head of the atomic energy. The middle east nuclear weapon free zone menwfz is a proposed agreement similar to other nuclear weaponfree zones. According to a 20 report by us experts, israels nuclear arsenal includes 80 nuclear warheads, with enough fissile material potentially to double that number. Far from being a myth, nuclear deterrence is nearly an ironclad law. A middle east free of nuclear weapons such an agreement could not only head off an arms race, but might also help in addressing fundamental political issues as well. Costly as the arms race was, it brought a long peace.
The arms race also became a weapon in itself, placing enormous economic strain on both the usa and. A history of violence the myth of the moderate kurdish rebel. While widely recognized in antiwar circles and on the left, the issue of a nuclear weapons double standard in the middle east is one of the least appreciated when it comes to the iran nuclear debate. A new nuclear arms race is upon us the globe and mail.
Lets examine some myths that endure about the east west stalemate. Israel is not a member of the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, and parts of. Avoiding a nuclear arms race in the middle east defense news. Nuclear myths and the existence of genuine security threats are closely.
But, ironically, israels nuclear arsenal may itself be one of the factors driving irans program in the first place. President donald trump says he wants the us to expand its nuclear arsenal. What trump has done is really open the door to the hardliners in iran, and if they choose to develop nuclear weapons to return to that pathway its a very serious nuclear arms race in the middle east, the expert stressed. Remarks raise prospect of nuclear arms race in the middle east. That race is being aided and abetted by a us policy that views the region through the dual prism of the need to stop an aggressive, expansionary, and destabilizing islamic republic that seeks to dominate it, and the view of the region as a lucrative market for the us defense and nuclear industry. In his comments yesterday about the iranian election, while he was feeling troubled about the whole issue, he also found the opportunity to slip in this gem. Apr 10, 2019 israel is the middle easts principal nuclear power, though it has never officially acknowledged possession of nuclear weapons.
In short, the author argues that an iran with nuclear capability will further destabilize the middle east and will be a negative development, but it is not likely to make egypt and saudi arabia go nuclear. Israel is widely considered to be the only nuclear armed country in the middle east but it refuses to confirm or deny it has a nuclear arsenal. Nuclear brinkmanship in the middle east would not necessarily resemble past nuclear rivalries around the world. Dont fear a nuclear arms race in the middle east the conventional wisdom has it wrong. It was the focal point of tension and a significant factor responsible for the continuation of hostility between the superpowers for such a prolonged period of time. The world greatly changed when usa exploded the hbomb in 1952. Sep 25, 2017 the current east asian security dynamics have two determinants. Mar 15, 2018 in a clip from an interview that will air this weekend, saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman, also known as mbs, has vowed that a nuclear arms race in the middle east is a very distinct possibility. In short, the world is on the brink of a new nuclear arms race that will only accelerate if current plans stay on track.
The nuclear arms race in the middle east ahram online. A new analysis questions the assumption that if iran gets nuclear weapons, its neighbours would follow suit christopher. In regional rivalries, such as those in the south asia subcontinent, northeast asia. The argument suggests that the nuclear deal essentially greenlights an iranian nuclear bomb, and that the emergence of a regional power with a nuclear weaponparticularly a shia. Would a nuclear iran really trigger a new arms race in the.
The countries have fought a longrunning proxy war in the middle east and beyond, backing rival sides in armed conflicts and political crises including in iraq, syria, lebanon and yemen. There are opportunities for peace in the regionamerica must not squander them. The us decision to walk away from the intermediaterange nuclear forces inf treaty has significant consequences for the future of arms control, for. The nuclear arms race has never really ended analyst. Spanning 116 states, worlds five nuclear weapon free. What some in the west fail to notice is that iran is a shia nation, not arab. The iran nuclear deal sparked an intense debate among experts, commentators, and u. But that reality did not prevent brazil and argentina from nurturing weapons. The middle east is barreling toward a nuclear and ballistic missile arms race. Dec 19, 2012 would a nuclear iran really trigger a new arms race in the middle east.
Mar 09, 2015 the nuclear arms race was central to the cold war. Egypt withdrew from nonproliferation treaty talks in geneva on monday, over a failure to plan for a middle east free of nuclear. Iran with a nuclear capability, if it happens, would not pose a security threat to either cairo or riyadh. President barack obama says the iranian nuclear deal announced tuesday will stop the spread of nuclear weapons in the middle east, but u. Could we blunder into a nuclear arms race in the middle east. It is a place where most nations deeply distrust their neighbours, and where oldstyle nationalism still reigns supreme. The arms race became an integral part of the cold war conflict. The first is the challenge posed by north koreas aggressive nuclear and missile development programmes coupled with direct threats to the us, and the second is the rise of china as a regional power. The us decision to walk away from the intermediaterange nuclear forces inf treaty has significant consequences for the future of arms control, for perceptions of the us and its approach to the. Apr 30, 20 israels alleged cache of nuclear arms is in spotlight again.
In truth, all states in the middle east have a desperate need for more electricity. Netanyahu reiterated his belief that that the way to prevent a nuclear arms race in the middle east is to fix the deal from its roots or annul. The nuclear arms race was an arms race competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the united states, the soviet union, and their respective allies during the cold war. Jun 15, 2009 conversely, he could mean that a mideast arms race is okay, as long as its not iran getting nukes that triggers it.
This is the story of the real middle east nuclear threat. John barrasso there is going to be a nuclear arms race. This shift in the balance of power could spark a regional nuclear arms race as irans neighbors seek to redress the new power imbalance. The nuclear arms race in the middle east the middle east is on the threshold of a dangerous arms race which can only be solved through regionwide action and commitment nabil fahmy, saturday 2 jun. Or he could mean that were going to allow iran to obtain nukes, but it had better not set off a nuclear arms race in the middle east. Gawdat bahgat the debate over irans nuclear program has intensified since the early 2000s. Indirect impact on arms race stability on the subcontinent. Advancements in cloud gaming use 5g to bring virtual reality to third world jun 2018 video. This unique publication delivers global issues with a mediterranean slant and regional struggles of global impact. Aug 27, 2017 how to prevent a nuclear arms race in the middle east.
Many feared where the cold war was going with the belief that the more nuclear weapons you had, the more powerful you were. Sep 30, 2016 five myths about nuclear weapons a man watches a tv news program reporting about a missile launch in north korea. This refers to the fact that any jcpoa participant can officially. The middle east nuclear arms race, joint forces quarterly, issue 58, 3rd quarter, 2010, pp. Saudi arabia will develop nuclear weapons if its archrival iran does so, the kingdoms crown prince said in remarks released on thursday, raising the prospect of a nuclear arms race in a region. A nuclear arms race in the middle east would be an unmitigated disaster to a region that is already experiencing upheaval and war unmatched in the modern era. Shown here are the primary scientists of that deal, thenu. An opportunity to avoid a nuclear arms race in the middle east was lost. The nuclear arms race never really ended, we never really got rid of the weapons, we never really stopped, but its been accelerating in the past years and this is very troubling, we have to choose to walk it back and go in a different direction. If in fact iran halted the other aspects of its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Both america and russia massively built up their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Nuclear arms race in the middle east popularresistance. In the middle east, a mixed lot is negotiating regional arms control, including control of.
Winter 2011 a nuclear arms race in the middle east. Nov 10, 20 the saudi embassy in london has also issued a statement pointing out that the kingdom is a signatory to the nonproliferation treaty and has worked for a nuclear free middle east. If the framework for a joint comprehensive plan of action jcpoa regarding irans nuclear program is successfully carried forward it will be a major achievement but also a great risk for the region and the entire world, as iran already has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles capable of carrying wmds. And you are going to see it in egypt, in turkey, in the emirates. Crisis stability and nuclear exchange risks on the. Project muse mediterranean quarterlyvolume 22, number 1.
During this very period, in addition to the american and soviet nuclear stockpiles, other countries developed nuclear weapons, though none engaged in warhead. The nuclear double standard on israel is the main obstacle. Chapter 6 the middle easts nuclear future richard l. How to prevent a nuclear arms race in the middle east. During this very period, in addition to the american and soviet nuclear stockpiles, other countries developed nuclear weapons, though none engaged in warhead production on nearly the same scale as the two superpowers. These are the things we think we know about nuclear weapons, but it turns out they are myths, myths that nonetheless still shape our nuclear policy. What impact did the nuclear arms race have on the conduct. Dont fear a nuclear arms race in the middle east council. Let it be an arms race, the president in waiting was reported to have told mika brzezinski, cohost of msnbcs morning joe programme, in an early phone call on friday.
Dont fear a nuclear arms race in the middle east foreign. John barrasso quotes from there is going to be a nuclear arms race in the middle east if iran gets a nuclear weapon. Realistically, israel, a nuclear armed state and a nonmember of the npt, had not the least interest in crafting such a proposal. After the 1948 arabisraeli war, in which the new country fought off egyptian. Concerns about a middle eastern nuclear arms race are being fueled by uncertainty over the future. Israel is the middle east s principal nuclear power, though it has never officially acknowledged possession of nuclear weapons. Saudi arabia pledges to create a nuclear bomb if iran does. With the end of the cold war, the nuclear arms race came to a virtual halt, but the nuclear threat remained. Barreling toward a nuclear and ballistic missile arms race. Netanyahu warns of mideast nuclear arms race the times of.
Steps towards the establishment of such a zone began in the 1960s led to a joint declaration by egypt and iran in 1974 which resulted in a general assembly resolution broadened in 1990 through the mubarak initiative to cover all weapons of mass destruction. The new treaty does nothing to quell the 1,400yearold religious conflict between sunni and shiaand it could even pave the way to a nuclear arms race in the middle east, a development that would very well affect billions of human beings around the globe. Reasoning that any nonproliferation deal would need not only international buyin. As president obama curries favor with israel and aipac, he is heaping punitive sanctions on the iranian people and continuously continue reading the nuclear double standard on israel is the. The nuclear arms race in the middle east the recent statement of the saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman gave rise to several international concerns and reactions and raised the alarm just after the kingdom noted that it will raise its military. The nuclear arms race in the middle east opinion ahram.
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