Atomic Energy in the Middle East

By: Jorge Aguilera

The UN and the nuclear age were born almost simultaneously.  The horror of the Second World War, culminating in the nuclear blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, brought home the need to address the nuclear issue.  By its first resolution, the General Assembly established the UN Atomic Energy Commission to deal with the problems raised by the discovery of atomic energy.  And a landmark address by United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953, “Atoms for Peace”, led to the establishment in 1957 of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Atomic Energy

In the Middle East

While the immediate focus of international attention has been on stopping Iran from obtaining the ability to build nuclear weapons, an equally worrisome development is that the Iranian drive to obtain a nuclear bomb has stimulated a regional race for nuclear technology to counter the perceived threat from a nuclear Iran.

In the Middle EastLike Iran, at least twelve other Middle

Eastern countries have either announced plans to explore atomic energy or have signed nuclear cooperation agreements: Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, UAE, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman (Two other counties - Yemen and Libya - cancelled their nuclear programs).  Each of these countries, like Iran as well, have explicitly stated that they are only interested in peaceful uses of nuclear technology. The fear is now that these countries may follow the Iranian example and work toward building a nuclear bomb to protect themselves in any future nuclear arms race.

UN Impact

The UN Conference on Disarmament, the sole multilateral negotiating forum on disarmament, produced the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which was adopted in 1996.  The Office for Disarmament Affairs promotes nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

UN Impact

The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space produced the 1992 Principles on the use of nuclear power sources in outer space.  The UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation reports on the levels and effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, providing the scientific basis for protection and safety standards worldwide.

UN Impact

Addressing the danger of nuclear terrorism, the UN has also produced the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (Vienna, 1980), and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005).

In the Future

Iran has recently stated that it has no intention on pursuing atomic energy for the creation of weapons of mass destruction. Since the statement, however, Iran has been seen to be increasing the production of nuclear fuel, and the US has yet to reach an accord with Iran on nuclear power.

In the Future

Other nearby countries may start their nuclear programs in order to protect themselves from a nuclear strike from Iran.

Sources

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/international_atomic_energy_agency/index.html

http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/atomicenergy/index.shtml