Signing of nuclear cooperation pact between China and Saudi Arabia was a watershed event. It was one thing when Saudis purchased several nuclear weapons from Pakistan, and totally different when they decided to master the entire nuclear cycle themselves.
The Saoodis mastered the entire nuclear cycle? When?
Saudi monarchy is doomed as any monarchy. Saudi moderates are doomed in the short term as any moderates in Arab countries. Saudi nuclear scientists will fall under the rule of Muslim radicals.
After a decade of military nuclear program, Israeli still finds it politically problematic to bomb Iran, perhaps the most radical country on earth. Much less we would be able to attack nuclear infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, a backbone of the world oil supply. Our chances are specifically minimized by the Saudi claim that it needs nuclear weapons to protect its oil sources, thus the world's oil supply.
Iran will have to quickly act to realize its nuclear advantage. Suffering years of isolation in pursuit of nuclear weapon only to see it balanced by Saudi nuclear capability is a loss of unimaginable proportions to ayatollahs. Saudi nuclear program can well trigger Iranian nuclear strike. It remains to see where the strike will land. |