New U.S.-Saudi nuclear pact could ignite fresh nuclear arms race

While only nine of the 195 UN members can build nuclear warheads, the United States has recently agreed to cooperate with Saudi Arabia on a civilian nuclear program that appears to have fewer non-proliferation safeguards than earlier deals, such as the one with the United Arab Emirates. The author cites a 1963 Kennedy warning about the potential for many more nuclear powers and argues that the Saudi pact may revive those fears.

Countries across Asia and Europe—including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, and even Australia—are reportedly debating independent nuclear capabilities to counter regional threats. The United States is moving away from the long-standing policy of providing a “nuclear umbrella” to allies, treating each partnership as a transactional relationship. This policy shift could spark a cascade of new nuclear programs, undermining decades of restraint that have kept large-scale war at bay. The analysis concludes that, despite a decline in conventional conflicts, the world may now be nearer to a nuclear exchange than during the Cold War era.