Nuclear Disarmament in the Middle East

Nuclear disarmament refers to the process of elimination of nuclear weapons and in the end creating a nuclear-weapon-free world.

 

Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani, at the United Nations General Assembly, said “as long as nuclear weapons exist, the threat of their use exists”. This is the reason why nuclear disarmament is very essential. Nuclear disarmament in the Middle East is even more essential.

Of the four UN member states that have not signed the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Pakistan and Israel are two and nuclear power is possessed by Iran, Israel and Pakistan. Though Israel has never officially acknowledged the possession of nuclear weapons, however according to Federation of American Scientists, in a 2007 report, Israel has 75 to 400 nuclear warheads. Israel would use these nuclear warheads if it feels threatened by any nation in the Middle East like Iran. Till now, Iran’s official stand is that its nuclear research is aimed at peaceful purposes. But if it reaches weapon capacity, Israel will attack. Pakistan, which successfully tested its nuclear weapons in 1998, has stayed out of these conflicts. But Pakistan has close links with Saudi Arabia; Iran’s chief rival. Saudi Arabia has provided Pakistan with financial aid in the past, it is speculated that in exchange for this assistance, Pakistan agreed to provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear protection if Iran developed nuclear weapons.

With Iran’s uranium enriched facilities, it can reach nuclear weapon capability anytime in the near future. If this happens, it could start a nuclear arms race (which may have already started) or a nuclear war. In order to maintain peace in the Middle East it is important to prevent Iran for developing nuclear weapons. This can be done with force by destroying the uranium enriched facilities but this may not stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and may even spark violence once again in the Middle East. To leave the lives of millions in the hands of a ‘may’ is not an option, for a nuclear war will not only take millions of innocent human lives but will also have a far reaching impact on the growth of the Middle East for generations as it did in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Thus the safest option is to establish a nuclear-free-zone in the Middle East.

Establishing a nuclear-free-zone in the Middle East is not an easy task as it will be very difficult to prevent all the countries from using nuclear weapons. Even if ONE country continues to develop nuclear weapons, so will the others and the threat of mass destruction will continue to persist. The process of establishing a nuclear-free-zone in Middle East will be long as we need to realize that it is not just about a nuclear arms race but also about protection and self-preservation for the Middle Eastern countries. It will require confidence building and trust building along with other political measures. This nuclear-free-zone will not only prove to be beneficial for the Middle East but also the entire world; along with strengthening the peace process in the Middle East it will also ensure peace in the entire world, for a nuclear war in the Middle East will suck in the entire world one by one and be the end of mankind as we know it.