I have mentioned in previous posts the Saudi interest in acquiring nuclear weapons if it appears that Iran is working on building its own nuclear arsenal. There are rumors that Saudi Arabia has already purchased nuclear bombs from Pakistan and they will be able to take delivery any time they want. Saudi Arabia has a huge military budget and does have the resources to purchase or develop nuclear weapons if it chooses according to a Middle East expert named Nawaf Obaid who recently appeared on CNN to discuss his concerns about a possible Saudi nuclear weapons program. While some skeptics have stated that Saudi Arabia does not have the capability to develop its own nuclear weapons, Obaid laid out his reasons for thinking that the Saudis do have this capability.
Obaid claims that there are six things that a country must have in order to create nuclear weapons.
1) An adequate education system. There have been significant improvements recently in Saudi Arabia with respect to science education. They have doubled their entire education budget since 2005. In 2014, Saudi spending on education and training amounted to about twenty five percent of their budget. Over two hundred thousand Saudis have studied abroad under a huge foreign scholarship program.
2) Skilled Scientists. Saudi nuclear scientists have degrees from prestigious U.S. universities. They have been conducting advanced nuclear research at the King Abdeualiziz City for Science and Technology for decades. Saudi Arabia has an aggressive domestic nuclear energy program under the new King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable, established in 2010. The Saudis intend to build sixteen nuclear power reactors in the next twenty years to supply electricity.
3) Financial means. As one of the biggest oil producers in the world, Saudi Arabia has the financial resources necessary to develop nuclear weapons. They have the third largest military budget in the world so they are obviously willing to dedicate massive resources to the creation and/or purchase of weapons they think they need.
4) Technological Infrastructure. A robust domestic nuclear power program like the one the Saudis are embarking on will require the creation of a great deal of the infrastructure that would be necessary to develop domestic nuclear weapons. They obviously have the resources to add the weapons specific infrastructure that would be needed to proceed with the development of nuclear weapons once they have the domestic nuclear power support systems in place.
5) Belief that there is a pressing security threat. The Saudis have made it clear than they consider the possibility of Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons a major security threat. They have made many statements to the effect that an Iranian nuclear arsenal would force them to acquire or build their own nuclear weapons. Depending on the outcome of the current negotiations with Iran, Saudi may move forward with a nuclear weapons program in the near future as a matter of national security.
6) The national will and leadership to develop nuclear weapons. Nationalism is rising in Saudi Arabia and the citizens of that country look to their leaders to take strong positions on perceived threats from other countries. The new King is moving forward with "revitalized" foreign and defense policies that are welcomed by other Arab leaders in the region. The power of the Saudi monarchy and the wealth of Saudi Arabia is being mobilized to project the image of a strong country ready to unify and lead the Arab nations in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia definitely has the leadership and will necessary to develop nuclear weapons.
With the deadline for a deal with Iran on its nuclear programs looming in the near future, the world will soon find out if Saudi Arabia is on track to become a nation with a nuclear arsenal.
Artist's concept of a carbon-neutral city to be built in Saudi Arabia by the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy program:
