Balance of power in Arab-Persian rivalry and the prospect of Nuclear Proliferation in Middle-East

Abstract

This article attempts to analyze the new cold war in Middle East (ME) between the Arabs and Persians, assuming Iran to be a critical actor and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as its main contender for regional hegemony. Lately, ME conflicts have shown a great tendency towards intense internationalization, eruption of ethnic conflict, use of non-state actor and an alarming usage of prohibited weapons. Meanwhile, Israel’s covert nuclear capability and Iran’s insistence to acquire nuclear energy gives legitimacy to Arab’s attempts at going nuclear or least be tolerated to invest significantly in conventional weapon pile up as well as attaining nuclear energy for peaceful means. These variables may pose interesting challenges to the balance of power quotient in ME. An overindulgence by either Iran and KSA in balancing each other out may eventually result in nuclear proliferation in ME as a final measure to deter an array of threats for the two states. The article uses Regional Security Complex theory and Game theory to analyze the rationality of going nuclear for either of these two ideological hegemons in Contemporary Middle East.