The second a nuclear bomb detonates, not only human life is vaporized at Ground Zero but so is every breath taken by “lesser” life forms, animal or plant.
A nuclear attack anywhere will make all the world’s conservation efforts (and past conflicts in the Middle East) look like child’s play, so as a Middle East-centric environment news site, we are concerned about last week’s nuclear bomb testing in North Korea, and Iran’s ambitions to obtain the bomb.
While everything on CNN makes it look like Israel and Gaza are the main fighting forces in the Middle East, this is anything but true. For the love of peace, and the environment, I dissect the recent news on nuclear bomb testing, and how it affects the Middle East.
As the situation becomes more “interesting” in places like Pyongyang North Korea and Teheran Iran, Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal called upon the United Nations last week to use its influence to persuade these two countries to abandon their nuclear armament programs.
Both of these countries now appear to have run-away nuclear arms programs, and in North Korea, the situation has reached the boiling point with the test of a 20 kiloton nuclear device, followed by the test launching of at least 8 missiles. With the scene in that region getting ready to explode, Prince bin Faisal has his own ideas on what should be a nuclear free Middle East.
No doubt the Prince is a bit concerned as to what will happen in his country’s back yard, should Iran succeed in “going nuclear.” But he doesn’t appear understand that his demanding that Israel do the same, i.e. agree to sign a non-nuclear treaty, will only make the situation worse; as in the end, a presumably nuclear Israel may actually be to his country’s benefit.
Where this ties in with that other nuclear wannabe about 2,500 miles southwest of North Korea is not so difficult to figure out, as the person sitting in the President’s Chair in Teheran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has probably received most of his country’s nuclear technology and even equipment directly from his friend, Kim.
Now that Pyongyang has heated things up quite a bit in his neighborhood, nuclear test and all, Ahmadinejad may see this act as a ‘window of opportunity’ to perhaps set off a big “fire cracker” himself.
After all, if Kim can do it, why can’t Mahmoud? This leaves the Saudi Royal Family in a bit of a predicament, as Iran, and it’ possible nuclear bombs are just across the Persian Gulf.
Both of these possible nuclear conflict regimes are being watched very closely by the USA and Israel, with Israel having the most to lose if an Iranian ICBM comes flying toward Tel Aviv with a bomb like the one North Korea just tested.
What’s going to happen next is not quite certain, but we can all wonder whether American President Barack Obama will (hopefully) do more than just make condemnations, and whether anything will be done to prevent any of these leaders, from carrying out an act which up to now has been nothing more than intense saber rattling.
If the situation does get out of hand, and nobody stands up to either of these two individuals, including the UN Security Council, which at present seems powerless to do anything, the House of Saud might well be appreciative that Israel is around to “counter-balance” things out.
This would not be true if Israel were to sign a nuclear weapons non-proliferation treaty, as Prince bin Faisal would like them to do. In fact, it could lead to a regional nuclear arms race, which would mean something coming down that’s a lot more serious than anyone could imagine, even Prince bin Faisal.
May the forces that be protect this region from further nuclear detonation and environmental destruction.
More on conflict and the environment:
Gaza Conflict Has Environmental Impacts
Choose the Environment In Latest Middle East Conflict
Video On Israel-Jordan Water War
Jordan Deals With Radioactive Water
Reporting on the Environmental Costs of War in the Middle East
[image via bigmikescience]
Author: Maurice Picow
Maurice Picow grew up in Oklahoma City, U.S.A., where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, Maurice embarked on a career as a real estate broker before making the decision to move to Israel. After arriving in Israel, he came involved in the insurance agency business and later in the moving and international relocation fields. Maurice became interested in writing news and commentary articles in the late 1990’s, and now writes feature articles for the The Jerusalem Post as well as being a regular contributor to Green Prophet. He has also written a non-fiction study on Islam, a two volume adventure novel, and is completing a romance novel about a forbidden love affair. Writing topics of particular interest for Green Prophet are those dealing with global warming and climate change, as well as clean technology - particularly electric cars.
