Turkey: On the Brink of a Nuclear Arms Race?

Nuclear weapons, while being the most powerful offensive weapon of mass destruction, also serve as a key deterrent. However, the dilemma of who should possess them and who should rather refrain from it remains central to global politics. So, what about Turkey?

Nevertheless, German research into new types of weapons of mass destruction kick-started the nuclear arms race in the US, the UK, and the USSR. The use of the atomic bomb by the United States against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 showcased to the whole world the scale of the tragedy and the repercussions of nuclear war. Since then, a small group of states has possessed atomic weapons, including the US, the USSR/Russia, the UK, France, China, India, and Pakistan.

However, only two world powers, the US and Russia, possess a full nuclear triad, capable of delivering nuclear weapons by land, sea, and air. Not all countries have the delivery systems for nuclear weapons by air or sea. While all the permanent members of the UN Security Council are part of the nuclear club (possessing both military and peaceful atomic capabilities), being global scientific centres, capable of conducting corresponding research and acquiring nuclear technology, the situation with India and Pakistan unfolded differently. Largely due to the ongoing territorial conflicts between these two countries, they were able to acquire nuclear weapons, which was attributed to the trajectory of their foreign policies during the Cold War. In other words, India gained access to nuclear technology in alliance with the USSR, and Pakistan followed a similar path thanks to its partnership with the US, the UK, and China.

Countering the Iranian Nuclear Programme Takes on New Forms

The acute conflicts in the Middle East, particularly those in the relations between Israel and the Arab countries, have also influenced the military doctrine of the Jewish state. To the present day, there is no official confirmation of Israel possessing nuclear weapons. At the same time, there is a lack of convincing evidence to suggest their absence or clarity regarding the activities of Israeli scientists at the nuclear research centres in Dimona and Soreq. Moreover,........

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