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President Bush’s visit to Saudi Arabia last month resulted in an agreement to support the country’s nuclear power program, including providing enriched uranium for nuclear reactors. The White House said the deal "will pave the way for Saudi Arabia’s access to safe, reliable fuel sources for energy reactors and demonstrate Saudi leadership as a positive non-proliferation model for the region."

Meanwhile, the U.S. government has not only protested the acquisition and development of nuclear technology and material in Iran, but also threatened military action over their nuclear program. Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and have stated that they are interested in these technologies in order to generate energy domestically and for the advancement of scientific research.

Despite similar statements of intent from Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Bush administration has argued that Iran should not be trusted. Why is the U.S. willing to provide enriched uranium to Saudi Arabia but not to Iran? Even if Saudi Arabia does increase oil production, there has been no word on the how this might affect oil prices in the U.S. So, how does the U.S. benefit from such a deal? And, finally, what would actually constitute sound nuclear policy in the region?

 

Suggested Readings:

• Nuclear Gold Rush
• Saudi Arabia is prime source of terror funds, U.S. says
• Saudis consider nuclear bomb
• As US Threatens Iran Over Enriching uranium, Bush Promises to Give Enriched Uranium to Saudi Arabia

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