The Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) hosted an insightful talk on \u201cNuclear Security in the Middle East: The Role of Saudi Arabia as a Rising Stakeholder\u201d, focusing on the country\u2019s evolving nuclear trajectory amidst the complexities of a volatile regional landscape.<\/p>\n
Dr. Rizwan Naseer, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Regional Studies, delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing the critical importance of nuclear politics for scholars in the field of strategic studies, said a press release issued here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
He highlighted the growing relevance of nuclear governance regimes such as the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in light of increasing proliferation challenges and international pressure on nuclear-capable states.<\/p>\n
The principal talk was delivered by Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Dean and Professor at the School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University.
\nDr. Jaspal discussed both the opportunities and challenges associated with nuclear energy for Saudi Arabia, noting its evolving nature, particularly in response to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East including the resurgence of inter-state warfare after nearly three decades.
\nDr. Jaspal identified four primary drivers behind Saudi Arabia\u2019s nuclear policy. \u201cOne of the drivers of Saudi Arabia\u2019s nuclear policy is the strategic competition with Iran, followed by Iran\u2019s ability to remain within the NPT and pursue its nuclear potential. The third driver is the transformation in international politics, followed by the sustainability and durability of nuclear energy.\u201d
\nAddressing concerns surrounding nuclear energy, Dr. Jaspal contended that much of the alarm is rooted in the nuclear energy\u2019s capacity to reshape the nature of warfare. He argued that while all forms of energy carry risks, the consequences of nuclear accidents are statistically less severe than those associated with coal mining, a point often highlighted by nuclear energy proponents.<\/p>\n
Dr. Jaspal highlighted the internal and external challenges faced by Saudi Arabia.
\nHe asserted that under Article III & IV of the NPT, Saudi Arabia holds the right to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. He further noted that civilian enrichment facilities carry the potential to be repurposed for the production of nuclear weapons material.
\nThe seminar concluded with an engaging Q&A session.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) hosted an insightful talk on \u201cNuclear Security in the Middle East: The Role of Saudi Arabia as a Rising Stakeholder\u201d, focusing on the country\u2019s evolving nuclear trajectory amidst the complexities of a volatile regional landscape. Dr. Rizwan Naseer, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Regional Studies, delivered the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":84197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84187"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84200,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84187\/revisions\/84200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}