The decision by these mostly moderate Arab states to pursue nuclear technology was predictable. It is not so much preparation for attacking Israel as a reaction to the seemingly inevitable Iranian nuclear program. The Gulf states are historic enemies of Iran and have running disputes over islands in the Gulf, westernization, religion, etc. They would like nothing better than to see the Iranian regime overthrown, but have felt the need to stay low key to preserve their tenuous stalemate.
Now they face the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran, which in their eyes calls into question the worth of US security guarantees. They can see a plausible scenario in which Iran invades or blockades them and threatens to go nuclear if the US gets involved. Would a Presdient Hillary be willing to get us in a nuclear war to protect the UAE?
The surest way for the US to stop this latest proliferation is to stop the Iranian program and achieve regime change in Iran. Of course, this entire announcement could just be a ploy to add urgency to that goal. In the middle east, one can never be totally sure.
Now they face the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran, which in their eyes calls into question the worth of US security guarantees. They can see a plausible scenario in which Iran invades or blockades them and threatens to go nuclear if the US gets involved. Would a Presdient Hillary be willing to get us in a nuclear war to protect the UAE?
The surest way for the US to stop this latest proliferation is to stop the Iranian program and achieve regime change in Iran. Of course, this entire announcement could just be a ploy to add urgency to that goal. In the middle east, one can never be totally sure.