There are several articles in last month's issue of Asian Affairs concerning Iran and its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. America, Israel and Britain are the countries which appear to be most worried and there is a good deal of sabre rattling with talk of military strikes to destroy Iran's nuclear installations.

Yet the history of nuclear weapons proliferation is clear and the process seems to be unstoppable because no lessons appear to have been learnt from that history. America developed the atom bomb during World War II, and then they used it to destroy two Japanese cities. The Soviets developed it because they were fearful of American nuclear attack or blackmail. Britain and France developed the bomb because they feared being overrun by the Soviets. China developed the bomb because they felt under threat from America after the Korean War. India developed the bomb because they felt under threat from China. Pakistan developed it because India had it and a paranoid North Korean regime acquired it to maintain that regime.

Middle East countries, namely, Iraq, Libya and Syria are also known to have made efforts to develop the atomic bomb. Why? Well they all certainly fear American domination of the Arab world but I suspect that the stronger motive was because Israel developed the bomb. Israel also provided Apartheid South Africa with ready to use atomic bombs, a story never properly examined by any media. But the point is that Iran has a big incentive to try to acquire nuclear weapons. Israel's acquisition of nuclear weapons was a massive escalation of tension in the region because, supported by nuclear weapons, Israel can do practically anything it likes in the Middle East without fear of military defeat. Arab and the Muslim countries will not allow such an advantage to exist indefinitely. If they are prevented from developing nuclear weapons, they will develop other types of weapons of mass destruction.

My solution to the problem of Iranian nuclear weapons development is for Israel to declare a unilateral abandonment of its atomic weaponry and invite Iran, Egypt, Syria and Iraq to subscribe to the creation of a nuclear-weapons free Middle East. Who knows, it might start a trend that would stop the inevitable catastrophic nuclear exchanges that will certainly happen, I believe, if these weapons are not abolished.

Mathew Muirson
Southampton

Encouragment for Asian Affairs

It is always a pleasure to get some feedback from our readers and we really do value the letters we receive from our readers all over the world. Only space prevents publication of them all. But it is especially gratifying to get evidence that the magazine's content is considered worthy of discussion by young minds. The e-mail reproduced below was received after the November issue of AA was distributed. We at AA believe our magazine really is the leading commentator on matters affecting the sub-continent and South Asia because of the expertise quality of our international correspondents, the regional sweep and the impartiality of the articles we publish.
“Dear Sir,

Kindly send me the latest addition of ASSIANAFFAIRS for exposure to my four-hundred and twenty-six MBA students.

Dr. Avinash Pareek — Associate Professor of Management — Banipark, Jaipur.”
Needless to say, we dispatched a copyof the December issue immediately.

Tom Deegan
Features Editor

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