Nuclear proliferation in the middle east domestic preparedness. The israeli perspective shlomo ben ami september 2009 presented to the regional meeting cairo, 2930. This is before the legal, regulatory, economic, and political dimensions are brought into the mix. Dec 17, 2008 bruce riedel and gary samore write that attempts to stop irans nuclear program have failed. This paragraph recognizes that, in addition to the middle east peace process, other efforts also contribute to a middle. Egypts working paper on the middle east 5 may 1998 nptconf. A top down approach to a nuclear weapons free zone in the. They offer suggestions to the incoming obama administration on how to move forward with a new approach. Middle east nuclear weapon free zone delivered by holly. The emergence of nuclear weapons has been a source of a big impact on the international power structure. In new york, the eu3, joined by china, russia, and the. Read the fulltext online edition of nonconventionalweapons proliferation in the middle east.
In assessing the probability of proliferation in the middle east, it is necessary to focus on how these various factors may affect nuclear decisionmaking in individual countries, especially in. Nonproliferation of nuclear weapons nuclear security. However, irans nuclear ambitions as well as syrias spotty nuclear record make the resumption of talks on establishing a middle east nuclear weaponfree zone nwfz critical to preserving stability in the region and globally. Nuclear proliferation pdf carnegie council for ethics in. They offer suggestions to the incoming obama administration on how to. Currently, the view widely held in the gcc is that the non proliferation regime is facing serious challenges that undermine its effectiveness and put a question mark over its eventual survivability. These middle east nations are increasingly apprehensive about the threat of a nuclear iran and the failure of the international community to take decisive actions to prevent tehran. The nuclear proliferation international history project is a global network of individuals and institutions engaged in the study of international nuclear history through archival documents, oral history interviews, and other empirical sources. These are the underlying questions in gawdat bahgats intriguing new study of nuclear proliferation in six key middle east countries. The risk of nuclear proliferation in the middle east united nations. Traditional regional studies literature focuses on korean issues within the asia paci. English 0535050 e 200505 0535050 new york, 227 may 2005 working paper submitted by the islamic republic of iran for main committee i 1. Israel is the only country in the middle east that is not a member of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty npt and is generally regarded as the first and only country in. A wmdfree zone in the middle east belfer center for science and.
In addition, revelations about the existence of an illicit nuclear proliferation network run by a. Bruce riedel and gary samore write that attempts to stop irans nuclear program have failed. If the region is host to a shiapersian bomb and a jewishisraeli bomb. The cases of israel and india a thesis submitted by kareem mahmoud kamel to the department of political science may2000 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts has been approved by dr. The nuclear weapon states recognized under the nuclear non proliferation treaty the united states 1945. Nuclear non proliferation in the middle east above all else, we need a reaffirmation of political commitment at the highest levels to reducing the dangers that arise both from existing nuclear weapons and from further proliferation. Establishment of a middle east zone free of nuclear weapons and other. While concluding a nwfz treaty will be a longterm effort, a serious discussion of making the middle east nuclear. Managing nuclear proliferation in the middle east brookings. In the middle east, we note that the demand for wmd in the region has waxed and waned. The quest for influence, in sage india chinese policies on arms control and proliferation in the middle east. By contrast, the middle east has emerged as a nuclear proliferation hotbed. Steps toward a middle east zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction. In november 2014, the united nations general assembly sought to counter the risk of nuclear proliferation in the middle east with a resolution recognizing that this would pose a serious.
The fourteen impact of nuclear weapons on international relations. The national infrastructure required for iaea safeguards is essentially the same as that needed to exercise effective national control of nuclear material. Isbn 9785953503860 nuclear non proliferation in the middle east context this is the twelfth publication of the series titled the prospect of. A nuclear weapon free zone nwfz in the middle east was first proposed in the. There are an estimated 23,000 nuclear weapons in the world today, 22,000 of them belonging to the united states and russia. Nuclear proliferation is part politics, part science and technology. The draft resolution on the risk of nuclear proliferation in the middle east document ac. Nuclear proliferation in the middle east and south asia. Oct 23, 2006 the draft resolution on the risk of nuclear proliferation in the middle east document ac. In the past, nuclear weapons free zones have proved a useful. Disec preventing proliferation of nuclear weapons in the. Egypts working paper on the middle east nuclear files.
Tackling the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological capabilities 1993. Leaving aside israel, none has succeeded in acquiring nuclear weaponsat least so far. Assessing progress on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. Jun 22, 2011 nuclear proliferation in the middle east by jerome h. Clandestine nuclear weapon programs were revealed in iraq in 1991, in libya in 2003. Bahrain, jordan, and the united arab emirates are among the other middle east nations that have set overly ambitious goals for developing peaceful nuclear energy programs, which time magazine correspondent karl vick characterized as an emerging atomic derby, on 23 march 2015. Nuclear proliferation in the middle east jewish virtual library. Steps toward a middle east zone free of nuclear international. The dangers of an iran getting nuclear weapons that then leads to a freeforall in the middle east is something that i think would be very dangerous for the world. For a developing country contemplating the construction of its first nuclear power plant npp, the technical requirements alone can appear daunting. This book contains papers by leading world experts on all aspects of nonconventional weapons proliferation in.
Two of the provisions of that treaty, for instance, allow parties to carry out explosions of nuclear devices for peaceful purposes, including explosions which involve. Proliferation has been opposed by many nations with and without nuclear weapons, as. Strengthen the regional nonproliferation regime 22 demonstrate u. Comprehending the politics of proliferation is crucial for devising policy measures to curb the further spread of nuclear weapons. Nuclear proliferation remains one of the most pressing and important issues in international politics and security. House of repre sentatives encourages steps to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to the. International efforts largely focus on the creation of a middle eastern nuclear weapons free zone nwfz, although heightened media attention is often paid to iran, israel, and iraq. While tying the npt to pro gress on disarmament in the. A wmdfz in the middle east should be strongly supported as an important contribution to global security and the nonproliferation regime. Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons, fissionable material, and weaponsapplicable nuclear technology and information to nations not recognized as nuclear weapon states by the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, commonly known as the nonproliferation treaty or npt. Bahgat looks at the economic and political forces that shape this threat to world peace and at the prospectslargely unrealistic, he saysof establishing a. There is a broader dimension to the korean peninsula, however, when it comes to the issue of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction wmd, as. Egypt, iran, iraq, israel, libya, and saudi arabia. New documents show us feared proliferation of nuclear technology in 1960s by william burr euromissiles crisis see also npihp research update.
Nuclear proliferation in the middle east iran intelligence. Japan, south korea, and egypt policy recommendations. Declare a new regional security doctrine 21 recommendation 8. Nuclear energy and proliferation in the middle east. If these programs come to fruition, which is problematic at.
Apr 19, 2007 in addition, revelations about the existence of an illicit nuclear proliferation network run by a. Currently, the view widely held in the gcc is that the nonproliferation regime is facing serious challenges that undermine its effectiveness and put a question mark over its eventual survivability. The cases of israel and india a thesis submitted by kareem mahmoud kamel to the department of political science may2000 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of. The iaea board of governors responded by referring the. Clandestine nuclearweapon programs were revealed in iraq in 1991, in libya in 2003. Commission on nuclear non proliferation and disarmament, but reflects the views of the author and should not be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the commission. Nuclear proliferation in the middle e ast iii should iran acquire a nuclear capability, intense pressure among some other states in the region to pursue nuclear weapons will likely emerge. At the wilson center, it is part of the wilson centers history and public policy program. From china report, special issue on china and the middle east edited by r. The risk of nuclear proliferation in the middle east. Avoiding worstcase outcomes 2008 and editor and chief author of nuclear programmes in. Mark fitzpatrick is director of the nonproliferation and disarmament program at the international institute for strategic studies in london. Apr 25, 2000 2000 npt revcon opening statements 25 april 2000. This appendix is the single best introduction to the science and technology part.
Nonconventionalweapons proliferation in the middle east. Nuclear proliferation international history project. Syrias civil war and the challenge of the islamic state have pitted regional rivals against each other as at no other time in memory. Israel has held on to its nuclear weapons, refused to join the npt, significantly expanded its stockpile of fissile material for weapons and developed advanced delivery systems.
The pursuit of a wmdfree zone in the middle east chatham house. Pdf the threat of nuclear proliferation in east asia. Impact of nuclear weapons on international relations. Updates to ap declarations are to be provided to the iaea on a yearly or quarterly basis. Israel is the only country in the middle east that is not a member of the nuclear non proliferation treaty npt and is generally regarded as the first and only country in the middle east to possess nuclear weapons. The nuclearweapon states recognized under the nuclear nonproliferation treaty the united states 1945.
Khan, which although fortunately now defunct provided fissile material production technology and nuclear weaponsrelated design information to both libya and iran, help underscore the dangers of proliferation in the middle east. If detonated, these weapons would cause the equivalent of about 150,00 hiroshima bombs. Jul 16, 2012 proliferationineastasia in its draft of the 20 national defens e authoriza tion act, the u. A mass psychotic movement washing over the country like a wave. The 1980s witnessed the escalation of the arms race in the middle east on to a higher qualitative level as a result of the widespread proliferation of nonconventional instruments of warfare and technologies. That decision was integral to the indefinite extension of the treaty. What to read on nuclear proliferation foreign affairs. In the event efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the middle east fail, u. Kahan wed, june 01, 2016 if iran crosses the nuclear threshold, saudi arabia will follow suit. 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. May 31, 2016 in assessing the probability of proliferation in the middle east, it is necessary to focus on how these various factors may affect nuclear decisionmaking in individual countries, especially in. Operative paragraph 1 endorses the aims and objectives of the middle east peace process and recognizes that efforts in this regard as well as other efforts contribute to, inter alia, a middle east zone free of nuclear weapons as well as other weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear proliferation has long been recognized as a severe threat to the world.
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