Lippman: Saudis Not Going Nuclear

Saudi Arabia likely would not pursue a nuclear weapon even if Iran reveals to the world that it has one of its own, said Thomas Lippman, adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute and award-winning author and journalist, Monday. “In my opinion, the disincentives of pursuing nuclear weapons are so overwhelming for Saudi Arabia that it would be national suicide for them to go down that path,” Lippman told attendees of his June 4 speech on Saudi Arabia that AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies sponsored in Arlington, Va. Lippman said the Saudi government realizes that its nation’s future lies in full integration into the world economy and industrialization. “If they were to break their agreements under the Nonproliferation Treaty . . . and go down that path of nuclear outlaws, their future would look more like North Korea than Norway,” he said. “I just don’t see that happening.”