Exploring Regional Responses to a Nuclear Iran Nuclear Dominoes?

Offering a new perspective on the widely discussed debate on how the international community would respond to a nuclear-armed Iran, this critical research challenges the prevailing wisdom that a nuclear Iran would provoke a nuclear proliferation cascade in the Middle East.

Hobbs and Moran assess the proliferation calculus of four key countries, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Syria, as well exploring the possibility that Iran would transfer nuclear materials to terrorists groups. The authors conclude that a nuclear domino effect would be highly unlikely, even in the face of an Iranian bomb, thus undermining one of the major arguments used in support of pre-emptive military action against Iran's nuclear facilities.

A range of policy measures are outlined, that could be enacted by the international community to further reduce the risk of a regional proliferation cascade, making this text a must-read for policy makers, security and international relations scholars and all those with an interest in the Middle East.

Christopher Hobbs is Lecturer in Science and Security in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, UK.

Matthew Moran is Lecturer in International Security in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, UK.

Foreword by Sir Lawrence Freedman, King's College London, UK.

Foreword; Sir Lawrence Freedman
Preface and Acknowledgements
1. The Dangers of a Nuclear-Armed Iran
2. Saudi Arabia: The Logic of Restraint
3. Egypt: Domestic Uncertainty, Nuclear Consistency
4. Syria: A Political Regime in Flux
5. Turkey: Non-proliferation and International Integration
6. Iran: Arming Terrorists with Nukes?
7. Living with an Iranian Bomb: Preventing Further Proliferation in the Middle East