U.S. Nonproliferation Strategy for the Changing Middle East

The Project on U.S. Middle East Nonproliferation Strategy released a report this month on developing a more effective strategy for the Middle East.

"It is imperative for the United States to develop and implement a comprehensive nonproliferation strategy for the Middle East (defined by this report to include North Africa). Factors lending urgency to this need include the threat of proliferation in and by Iran, the vulnerable Syrian chemical arsenal, the challenges and opportunities posed by the Arab revolutions, the relatively frequent prior use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the Middle East, several regional states already possessing WMD, and a tense and unstable regional security situation."

According to the report, Iran's nuclear program poses the most immediate threat and the country "could produce enough weapon-grade uranium for one or more nuclear bombs by mid-2014". As a result, the U.S. should "intensify sanctions until the impact is so severe [...] that Iran's leaders change course and curtail their nuclear program."

Other recommendations included in the report involve enhancing biosecurity measures, increasing collaboration between the U.S. and the European Union on Middle East nonproliferation policy, and establishing a forum for specialists in strategic trade control violations.

read more