Publication

This report examines the increased level of interest among Persian Gulf states in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. In some quarters this interest has caused alarm, particularly since the gulf region is almost universally viewed as politically unstable and prone to conflict. Indeed, anti-nuclear forces have called for the establishment of a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East. They fear that even supposedly benign nuclear energy programs might serve as the foundation for a region-wide arms race.