The Case for the Saudi Nuclear Agreement
In late August, President Trump sent the US-Saudi 123 agreement for civil nuclear cooperation to Congress, beginning a 90-day legislative countdown after which the deal enters into force. The deal — signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright in July — establishes a framework for American companies to sell nuclear technology to Riyadh. In the process, Saudi capital would help finance America’s own nuclear buildout, including the domestic enrichment capacity needed to wean US dependence on Russian fuel. But the agreement arrives at a fraught moment. As the war with Iran drags on, America’s Gulf partners are growing increasingly uncertain about Washington’s commitment and capabilities in the region. Is nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the national interest? Should Washington condition the deal on Saudi normalization with Israel, as Trump suggests? And does the agreement make nuclear weapons proliferation more likely?
In this episode, Paul Saunders makes the case that the agreement is worth having on both commercial and strategic grounds. Saunders is the president of the Center for the National Interest and an expert with more than three decades of experience in foreign policy. He previously served in the George W. Bush Administration from 2003 to 2005 as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs.