I<scp>mplications of</scp> A N<scp>uclear</scp> I<scp>ran for</scp> T<scp>urkey</scp>

Abstract

urkey is a country that will be most negatively affected by Iran's nuclear-weapons capability, if and when it is developed.If Iran builds a nuclear stockpile, it will only add a new dimension to its already militarily superior position vis-à-vis the Gulf states: the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, in particular.Syria will most likely remain Iran's one and only ally in the region, primarily due to geopolitical considerations, at least for as long as the Asad dynasty or a like-minded ruler remains in power.Relations between Iran and the former Soviet republics in the Caucasus and Central Asia have grown steadily in many areas since they gained their independence.No serious bone of contention exists between them and Iran, with the exception of the Azeri people's aspirations to "greater Azerbaijan" on both sides of the Iranian-Azerbaijani border. 1 However, these calls are not powerful enough to trigger a secessionist movement in the region if Iran, with its Azeri clerical leader Ali Khamenei, develops nuclear weapons.Russia, the second-largest nuclear power in the world, will not be challenged, even if