In 1958 President Eisenhower stood before the United Nations warning of a "wasteful, dangerous competition in armaments" throughout the Middle East. Today, even with Saddam Hussein's regime eliminated, the Middle East remains heavily armed. There is fear of a regional nuclear arms race.
Israel has nuclear weapons, and its rival Iran is suspected of developing them. Other Middle Eastern nations, including Iraq, may feel compelled to produce nuclear weapons.
The Middle East can avoid the vicious cycle of nuclear proliferation, as one past example suggests. More than 40 years ago, the nations of Latin America also faced the threat of nuclear weapons in their region. In September 1962, Brazil called for a Latin American nuclear weapon-free zone. Just one month later, the Soviets placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. The resulting Cuban missile crisis almost led to a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the United States.
The Soviet missiles were eventually removed, but the fear of nuclear war lingered. Latin American leaders urgently sought to prevent nations in their region from developing nuclear weapons or, like Cuba, hosting those of a superpower.
Latin American diplomats knew that such a treaty would take time to develop and implement. They were wise to get started in 1963. Patient diplomacy was required to bring all the parties to the treaty into agreement, but with the Treaty of Tlatelolco, Latin America is now a nuclear weapon-free zone.
The Latin American blueprint ought to serve as a model for the Middle East. As was the case with Latin America, freeing the Middle East from nuclear weaponry will not come about easily. The security concerns of all the nations in the region must be considered and strong verification procedures established. This will be no small chore.
However, failure to act only promotes a burdensome arms race that citizens of the Middle East will have to endure. A nuclear sword could hang over the Middle East - and the world - for decades to come.
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William Lambers, a graduate of Elder High School and the College of Mount St. Joseph, is the author of several books and is a writer for the History News Service.
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