{"id":6540,"date":"2025-07-23T18:04:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T18:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wnp.com.pk\/?p=6540"},"modified":"2025-07-23T18:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T18:04:08","slug":"strategic-rivalry-energy-goals-driving-riyadhs-nuclear-policy-say-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/2025\/07\/23\/strategic-rivalry-energy-goals-driving-riyadhs-nuclear-policy-say-experts\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategic rivalry, energy goals driving Riyadh\u2019s nuclear policy, say experts"},"content":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD, Wednesday, July 23, 2025 : The Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) on Wednesday hosted a thought-provoking seminar titled \u201cNuclear Security in the Middle East: The Role of Saudi Arabia as a Rising Stakeholder,\u201d shedding light on the Kingdom\u2019s evolving nuclear trajectory amid a complex and conflict-prone regional landscape.<\/p>\n

Opening the session, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, Senior Research Fellow at IRS, emphasized the growing significance of nuclear politics in strategic studies and underscored the role of global non-proliferation frameworks\u2014particularly the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)\u2014in addressing modern proliferation challenges.<\/p>\n

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Dean and Professor at the School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University. Dr. Jaspal explored Saudi Arabia\u2019s increasing interest in nuclear energy, driven by both regional dynamics and strategic imperatives.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He identified four key drivers behind Riyadh\u2019s nuclear policy: strategic rivalry with Iran, Tehran\u2019s continued advancement under the NPT framework, shifts in the global geopolitical order, and Saudi Arabia\u2019s own ambitions for sustainable energy development.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaudi Arabia’s nuclear trajectory is not only about energy diversification\u2014it\u2019s deeply tied to the broader strategic competition in the region,\u201d Dr. Jaspal said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He further argued that despite public anxieties, the risks of nuclear energy are statistically lower than those associated with traditional energy sources like coal mining.<\/p>\n

Dr. Jaspal also discussed the dual-use nature of nuclear technology, noting that while Article III and IV of the NPT grant Saudi Arabia the right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology, civilian enrichment programs could theoretically be diverted toward weapons development\u2014raising legitimate concerns in the international community.<\/p>\n

The seminar concluded with a lively Q&A session, where scholars and students engaged in a nuanced discussion on the implications of Saudi Arabia\u2019s nuclear policy for regional and global security.<\/p>\n

The event highlighted the critical need for continued scholarly engagement on nuclear issues in the Middle East, particularly as new players like Saudi Arabia assert their influence in the nuclear domain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD, Wednesday, July 23, 2025 : The Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) on Wednesday hosted a thought-provoking seminar titled \u201cNuclear Security in the Middle East: The Role of Saudi Arabia as a Rising Stakeholder,\u201d shedding light on the Kingdom\u2019s evolving nuclear trajectory amid a complex and conflict-prone regional landscape. Opening the session, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-middle-east","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}