Consequences of a Nuclear Iran

By Dr. Ephraim Kam

Even if Iran is not going to use the bomb against anybody including Israel, there are still very negative implications from its acquisition of the bomb. First, if Iran acquires the bomb, it will encourage other countries in the Middle East to join this nuclear arms race, especially Egypt, and perhaps Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Algeria, and Syria. It would be difficult for a country like Egypt, the leader of the Arab world, to stay out of this circle. Secondly, an Iran with the bomb is going to be a more aggressive country. This could be seen, for example, in encouragement of Hizballah to initiate new attacks against Israel.

 It could be in the field of oil prices. With the safety net of a nuclear capability, Iran might behave differently and more aggressively. Finally, Iran with the bomb is going to be the cornerstone of the radical camp in the Muslim world and in the Middle East as well. More moderate countries like Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states will have to accommodate themselves more than in the past to this new situation in which a central radical country will have the bomb. Despite the trends of the last two years, which were negative ones for the reformists, change in Iran will continue because there is a genuine demand for a change.

The younger generation in Iran, which now is the majority of the population, demands more personal freedom, more political freedom, less corruption, a better life, and a better economy. If this is the will of most of the Iranian people, it's going to be very difficult for the radical regime to contain this change. At the end of all this I expect a dialogue between Iran and the United States, and a dialogue between Iran and Israel. And if this is to be the case, even if Iran has the bomb by that time, the bomb will have a different meaning.

 

Dr. Ephraim Kam has served as Deputy Head of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University since 1995. He previously served as a colonel in the Research Division of IDF Military Intelligence. He specializes in security problems of the Middle East, Iranian strategy, Israeli national security issues, and strategic intelligence. His publications include: Surprise Attack: The Victim's Perspective (1988); The Changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe: Implications on the Middle East (1991, Hebrew); The Political Framework of the Palestinian Entity (1993, Hebrew); and From Terror to Nuclear Bombs: The Significance of the Iranian Threat (2004, Hebrew). This Jerusalem Issue Brief is based on his presentation at the Institute for Contemporary Affairs in Jerusalem on July 26, 2005. Data: Jerusalem Issue Brief