Yesterday’s decision by several Arab countries to pursue a collective nuclear program has some alarming implications. While it was specified that this program would be used solely for peaceful energy purposes, there is little reason to believe such statements. With Iran’s rising influence in the Middle East and its (alleged) attempt to acquire a nuclear weapon, the Gulf states are no doubt attempting to balance Tehran’s power with a nuclear program of their own.
Since pursuing a civilian nuclear energy program does not violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Gulf states could announce their intentions to pursue such a program with little international outcry. Then, with the capabilities to produce nuclear power, they would only need to take the enrichment process a few steps further to be able to produce a nuclear bomb. If they were able to deceive the international community long enough, they could develop a weapon in time to counter the threat of an Iranian nuclear power. This, it seems likely, is what they are doing.
Read the rest to learn about the implications.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.