The controversy over alleged iraqi nuclear weapons and the unsettled question of irans nuclear weapons ambitions have further intensified the debate over the nuclear arms race in the region. Nuclear energy and proliferation in the middle east. The middle east between collective security and collective. Security implications of the proliferation of weapons of. Report written for the united nations association of the uk mark fitzpatrick towards a more secure and wmdfree middle east unauk towards zero.
The middle east post npt agreement at the height of the cold war, the two superpowers, the united states and the soviet union, had an estimated combined arsenal of 30,000 nuclear weapons. Nuclear proliferation is a global issue thats been overshadowed by the coronavirus. Urges all states that have not yet signed andor ratified the treaty on the non proliferation of nuclear weapons to do so in. Nuclear infrastructure and proliferation risks of the.
The risk of nuclear proliferation in the middle east. Nuclear proliferation in the middle east center for. Israel is not a member of the treaty on the non proliferation of nuclear weapons, and parts. States motivations to acquire or forgo nuclear weapons. Iran, nuclear proliferation, nuclear rollback, sanctions, non. The washington institute for near east policy v about the authors michael eisenstadt is director of the military and security studies program at the washington institute. Focusing on why, not how why is an analysis of the strategies of proliferation necessary. Preventing nuclear proliferation in the middle east postjcpoa. Leaving aside israel, none has succeeded in acquiring nuclear weaponsat least so far. Chinas nuclear diplomacy in the middle east the diplomat. The proliferation of nuclear weapons in the middle east has been a major threat to regional peace and global stability for several decades. Nonproliferation strategy for the changing middle east.
Agenda item 102 the risk of nuclear proliferation in the middle east s n s a nuclear weapon free zone nwfz in the middle east would do a lot to ease tensions. Robert einhorn and richard nephew analyze the impact of the iran deal on prospects for nuclear proliferation in the middle east in their new monograph. A zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the middle east. Gc5312 application of iaea safeguards in the middle east. Special political and decolonization committee specpol 3. Not least among these challenges is the possibility that the pursuit of nuclear weapons or a nuclear option by. Momentum on regulating chinas nuclear industry increased with chinas nuclear safety law entering into force on january 1, 2018 and the state councils issuance of guidelines for the. How to prevent a nuclear arms race in the middle east.
Reaffirms the importance of israels accession to the treaty on the non proliferation of nuclear weapons3 and placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive international atomic energy agency safeguards. Resolution on nuclear weapons in the middle east by iran. Nuclear weapons are considered one of the most dangerous weapons in the history of man. The dynamics of middle east nuclear proliferation is a collection of essays that shed light on how the genie got out of the bottle and offer ideas for putting it back in. Managing nuclear proliferation in the middle east brookings. Edited by steven spiegel, jennifer kibbe and elizabeth mathews, in cooperation with uclas center for international relations, the volume grew out of tracktwo discussions. Intuitively, security is the most important factor driving nuclear acquisition. The middle east has been a hotbed of nuclear proliferation for five decades. To join or not to join the nuclear club marine corps university. The sixth section outlines alternative theories about the potential impact of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty npt on nuclear weapons programs. D e fi n i ti o n o f k e y t e r ms nu c l e a r w e a p o n a weapon, usually in the form of a bomb or missile, that explodes when a nuclear reaction. A specialist in persian gulf and arabisraeli security affairs, he has published widely on irregular and conventional warfare and nuclear weapons proliferation in the middle. A nuclear saudi arabia would combine nuclear weapons with conventional arms so as not. Contrasting paths in east asia and the middle east princeton.
Preventing a nuclear meltdown in the middle east thehill. Preventing a nuclear meltdown in the middle east by kenneth n. Bruce riedel and gary samore write that attempts to stop irans nuclear program have failed. Since the early 2000s the nuclear non proliferation regime has been seriously challenged, particularly by north korea and iran. Goals amid regional change1 uprisings and political change in the arab world challenge many of the assumptions that have long informed u. According to a 20 report by us experts, israels nuclear arsenal includes 80 nuclear warheads, with enough fissile material potentially to double that number.
The dynamics of middle east nuclear proliferation middle. General conference resolutions on the application of comprehensive agency safeguards on all nuclear activities in the middle east region. Nonproliferation strategy for the changing middle east about the cochairs david albright, a physicist, is founder and president of the nonprofit institute for science and international security isis in washington, d. Nuclear proliferation, the spread of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons technology, or fissile material to countries that do not already possess them. Nuclear fatwa the washington institute for near east policy. The middle east nuclear weapon free zone menwfz is a proposed agreement similar to other nuclear weaponfree zones. Nuclear proliferation in the middle east and south asia. Delaying the npt conference may have bought much needed time. On 19 march 2019, the vcdnp, in cooperation with the permanent mission of japan, hosted a panel discussion on the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction wmdfz in the middle east.
Security implications of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the middle east israel had built a nuclear option not in order to have a hiroshima but an oslo. Yemen merged to form a single state with the name yemen. Cognizant that the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region of the middle east would pose a serious threat to international peace and security, mindful of the immediate need for placing all nuclear facilities in the region of the middle east under fullscope safeguards of the agency. A wide range of steps should be pursued to combine. Israel is the middle east s principal nuclear power, though it has never officially acknowledged possession of nuclear weapons. A key part of the final document of the 2010 nuclear nonproliferation treaty npt.
He has written numerous assessments on secret nuclear weapons programs throughout the world. Policy congressional research service 1 enduring u. Kimberley ganczak graduate program in international studies, old dominion university introduction international concern for the proliferation of nuclear weapons has continued to mount. The establishment of a nuclearweaponfree zone in the middle east has been a. In the middle east, following the toppling of saddam husseins regime by an americanled international coalition, the international communitys attention has focused on irans nuclear programme. A middle eastern wmdfree zone arms control association. The term is also used to refer to the possible acquisition of nuclear weapons by terrorist organizations or other armed groups. Croy uses remote sensing technologies, data analytics tools, and traditional research methods to study a variety of topics, including north korean wmd proliferation, military facilities across the middle east, the nuclear fuel cycle, and compliance. Download this chapter pdf or read more about world opinion on proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
One is the situations growing complexity, as conflicts increasingly intersect. Nuclear energy and proliferation in the middle east robert einhorn ore countries have pursued a nuclear weapon capability in the middle east than in any other region. There are opportunities for peace in the regionamerica must not squander them. 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. In due course, a reconvened conference can combine the working groups into.
November 2012 a top down approach to a nuclear weapons free zone in the middle east pierre goldschmidt background paper second eu non proliferation consortium seminar to promote confidence building and in. Disec preventing proliferation of nuclear weapons in the middle east by. Energy flows and prices are in good shape, and the j. At the same time, focusing on the current crisis has led to consistent failures in u. The literature on nuclear proliferation since the end of the cold war has centered on. The iran nuclear deal framework was a preliminary framework agreement reached in 2015 between the islamic republic of iran and a group of world powers. Nuclear capabilities in the middle east the web site cannot be found.
Pdf the causes of nuclear weapons proliferation researchgate. Nuclear proliferation has been a growing concern in the middle east for many years, the treaty on the non proliferation of nuclear weapons was created to try to help resolve the issue, but due to the united states pulling out of the issue, the progress of the treaty has slowed. Nuclear energy, nonproliferation, and disarmament international. Strategies of nuclear proliferation strategies of nuclear. Contrasting paths in east asia and the middle east. Authorizes the iaea to investigate and inspect the nations in the middle east suspected of. In the event efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the middle east fail, u. Israel and nuclear proliferation in the middle east. International efforts to create a weapons of mass destruction free zone in the middle east nagy milada1 the efforts to create a nuclear weapons.
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