Commentary
Faced with an increase in strategic maneuvering by Moscow and Pyongyang, Beijing will not sit idly by and allow Putin and Kim to shape the security environment on its behalf.
Tong Zhao
{
"authors": [
"Kimberly Misher"
],
"type": "other",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "NPP",
"programs": [
"Nuclear Policy"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"North Africa",
"Egypt"
],
"topics": [
"Nuclear Policy",
"Nuclear Energy"
]
}
Source: Getty
Other
Egyptian Nuclear Leadership—Time to Realign?
Egypt's role in preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East is especially urgent and the 2010 NPT Review Conference is the next best chance to advance its disarmament agenda.
By Kimberly Misher
Published on Nov 19, 2009
Recognizing Egypt’s critical role in the Arab world, President Obama selected Cairo for a landmark speech in June. To continue to lead the Middle East and enhance regional security, Egypt should work to strengthen the nonproliferation regime. The 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference is Egypt's next best chance to advance its disarmament goals, contends a new paper by Kimberly Misher.
Key Conclusions
- If Egypt is concerned about the possibility of one of its neighbors developing nuclear weapons, strengthening the treaty is in its best interest.
- Egypt has an opportunity to further its disarmament objectives during the Review Conference as it will chair both the New Agenda Coalition and the Non-Aligned Movement.
- In order for Egypt to achieve progress in a changing international climate, it should agree to incremental progress rather than demanding all-or-nothing decisions.
- Egypt's regional influence could diminish if the country’s negotiating strategy is seen as preventing progress on regional disarmament and the promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
- The United States should consider Egypt's proposed steps for implementing the Resolution on the Middle East.
"Egypt's role in preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East is especially urgent. As Iran advances its nuclear capability, Egypt increasingly faces the prospect of being politically sandwiched between two nuclear-armed states," says Misher. "By pressing for security and disarmament within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Egypt may be able to solidify Arab perspectives on arms control and strengthen its regional leadership."
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie China
- Beyond the Putin-Kim Alliance: How Can the International Community Engage China to Contain Nuclear Risks Over the Korean Peninsula?
- Missile Defense and the Strategic Relationship among the United States, Russia, and ChinaCommentary
China views U.S. missile defense as posing a greater potential threat to China’s nuclear deterrent than other U.S. military capabilities.
Tong Zhao, Dmitry Stefanovich
- What the Russian War in Ukraine Means for the Middle EastCommentary
It’s about managing oil prices, bread prices, and strategic partnerships.
- +8
Amr Hamzawy, Karim Sadjadpour, Aaron David Miller, …
- About the P5 process, RevCon 2022, AUKUS and US-China Competition From The Chinese SideCommentary
There are certainly other issues among other P5 countries, but the U.S.-China competition is so by far the most consequential great power rivalry in the international system, and it has very far-reaching geopolitical implications at and beyond the Pacific region.
Tong Zhao
- What’s Driving China’s Nuclear Buildup?Commentary
Satellite data has revealed the construction of new nuclear missile silos in Gansu and Xinjiang in western China. How U.S. and Chinese experts interpret the buildup and the motivations behind it could greatly reshape their security relationship.
Tong Zhao
