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Source: http://www.aijac.org.au/news/article/coming-soon-a-nuclear-middle-east
Coming Soon - a Nuclear Middle East
(AIJAC-Australia) Ran Porat - Dozens of nuclear reactors are in various stages of planning in the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Algeria, Tunisia and Sudan, according to a report by IDF Col. (res.) Dr. Shaul Shay, Director of Research at the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. Russia is the contractor building most of the reactors, while South Korea is constructing the others. While many of these countries are fossil fuel rich, the real motivation is the perception that atomic capabilities amount to "a status symbol and a response to the Iranian nuclear program," says Shay. Tehran's race for nuclear capabilities and the nuclear agreement it signed are major reasons for the urgency among Middle Eastern countries to possess their own nuclear plants and know-how. Following the Iranian example, Arab leaders know that the first step on the road towards atomic weapons is a civilian nuclear sector. For Arab leaders, the Iran deal is a clear illustration of how breaching international law and becoming a threat to world security means suffering nothing worse than verbal condemnation, yet all the while being courted and awarded prizes and enticements. Dr. Ran Porat is a researcher at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation (ACJC) at Monash University.