Ecology and Environmental Challenges of the Persian Gulf

The extreme salinity and temperature fluctuations of the Persian Gulf waters have created unique marine and coastal ecosystems, with numerous benefits to Iran and neighboring countries. However, human activities, including rapid coastal development, land-based pollution, oil and gas extraction, and shipping, are threatening the survival of these ecosystems. With long shorelines, a large coastal population, and locally important fisheries and tourism-related jobs, Iran has a lot at stake in the degradation of its marine and coastal environments. However, it is not too late to put a stop to further degradation. This article recommends a number of targeted actions at the local, national, and regional levels to address the threats to the Persian Gulf ’s environment and protect this important renewable resource.     

20世纪70年代美国对波斯湾的“双柱＂政策

从二战结束到20世纪60年代末,波斯湾地区的国际关系发生了巨大变化：英国持续了一个世纪的海湾霸权已成强弩之末。1968年,英国政府宣布将于1971年从苏伊士运河以东(包括海湾地区)撤出,这为美苏进一步的竞争开辟了新场地。美国并未像1956年第二次中东战争后所为,直接填补真空,而是制定了一项新的海湾政策：“双柱”政策,     

Nuclear energy and proliferation risks: myths and realities in the Persian Gulf

The use of civil nuclear power is set for major expansion among the world's developing economies. The pursuit of nuclear energy technology offers energy-hungry developing nations access to reliable large-scale electricity supplies with very low carbon emissions. But this climate-friendly energy solution comes at a security price. Historically, one third of the 30 countries that possess civil nuclear energy programmes have weaponized them. Security threats from the proliferation of nuclear weapons might become an important barrier to the further expansion of the global nuclear energy market. Nowhere is this tension more acute than in the Persian Gulf. Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) illustrate how the establishment of civil nuclear energy programmes can pose different levels of security risk depending on a country's foreign policy. While the UAE has embraced international transparent nuclear safeguards, Iran has rejected the concerns of the international community and continues to develop uranium enrichment technology that may soon lead towards a viable nuclear weapon. However, the use of proliferation-resistant thorium rather than uranium as a nuclear fuel technology might significantly reduce the threat of plutonium weaponization in Arab states. The UAE nuclear energy model deserves the political support of western nations as the best compromise between nuclear energy expansion and nuclear security threats. This article discusses the myths and realities surrounding the diversion of civil nuclear energy programmes for military use in the Persian Gulf region, and argues that proliferation of atomic weapons is a political choice, not a certain technical inevitability.