Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal
We are pleased to share an excerpt from the Introduction to a new discussion paper by Prince Turki Al Faisal about a political plan for a weapons of mass destruction-free zone in the Middle East.
There is an Arab proverb that says:
(ما لا يدرك جله لا يترك كله) “Not realizing all of an objective doesn’t mean some of it can’t be realized.”
This is certainly the case when tackling the issue of nuclear non-proliferation by the international community. For instance, establishing regional nuclear free zones was a rational necessary step toward ridding the world of this dire threat. And this is well stated in paragraph 6 of the UN General Assembly Resolution Number 3263 which calls for the creation of such a zone in the Middle East.
It reads: “the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, on the initiative of the States situated within each zone concerned, is one of the measures which can contribute most effectively to halting the proliferation of those instruments of mass destruction and to promoting progress towards nuclear disarmament, with the goal of total destruction of all nuclear weapons and their means of delivery.”
No region in the world is in greater need of becoming such a zone than the conflict-cursed Middle East. This region is in the midst of a drastic transformation. One of its states (Israel) is a de facto nuclear weapon state and another one (Iran) is progressing toward becoming one. Both countries have lied about their intentions in this regard. Israel publicly stated that it would not introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East, yet it has over 200 warheads with the required delivery systems. Iran has publicly stated that it seeks the peaceful development of nuclear power, yet it continues to raise enrichment levels in its centrifuges while increasing their number and preventing IAEA inspectors from inspecting suspected sites.
Given the importance of this issue in this region and the current political changes taking place there, this paper aims to address the issue of establishing a Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (WMDFZ) in the Middle East in order to realize the objective of ridding the region of weapons of mass destruction.”
Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
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HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal
We are pleased to share an excerpt from the Introduction to a new discussion paper by Prince Turki Al Faisal about a political plan for a weapons of mass destruction-free zone in the Middle East.
There is an Arab proverb that says:
(ما لا يدرك جله لا يترك كله)
“Not realizing all of an objective doesn’t mean some of it
can’t be realized.”
This is certainly the case when tackling the issue of nuclear non-proliferation by the international community. For instance, establishing regional nuclear free zones was a rational necessary step toward ridding the world of this dire threat. And this is well stated in paragraph 6 of the UN General Assembly Resolution Number 3263 which calls for the creation of such a zone in the Middle East.
It reads: “the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, on the initiative of the States situated within each zone concerned, is one of the measures which can contribute most effectively to halting the proliferation of those instruments of mass destruction and to promoting progress towards nuclear disarmament, with the goal of total destruction of all nuclear weapons and their means of delivery.”
No region in the world is in greater need of becoming such a zone than the conflict-cursed Middle East. This region is in the midst of a drastic transformation. One of its states (Israel) is a de facto nuclear weapon state and another one (Iran) is progressing toward becoming one. Both countries have lied about their intentions in this regard. Israel publicly stated that it would not introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East, yet it has over 200 warheads with the required delivery systems. Iran has publicly stated that it seeks the peaceful development of nuclear power, yet it continues to raise enrichment levels in its centrifuges while increasing their number and preventing IAEA inspectors from inspecting suspected sites.
Given the importance of this issue in this region and the current political changes taking place there, this paper aims to address the issue of establishing a Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (WMDFZ) in the Middle East in order to realize the objective of ridding the region of weapons of mass destruction.”
For the full discussion paper, please click here