In an analysis on US sponsored International Nuclear Summit, Professor Ali Riaz says that President Barack Obama has really taken a bold step to stop nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists like Al Qaida.
Professor Riaz says that the aim of this conference is not to look for the nuclear arsenal of any particular country but to see that these weapons and technologies do not fall into the hands of non-state elements, like Al Qaeda. He said that India and Pakistan, two rival neighbors in South Asia are developing more nuclear arsenal which are not subject to IAEA inspections.
Similarly North Korea, Israel or Iran, do not seem to be important issues in this summit. What is really important is to stop the risk of a nuclear attack, the chance of which has increased as terrorist groups like al-Qaida seek nuclear materials.
Dr. Ali Riaz said that the absence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from this summit is very significant because without Israel's active participation on nuclear matters the regional equations would be disturbed and the problem concerning Iran cannot be resolved.
Professor Ali Riaz is the Chair of the Department of Government & Politics at Illinois State University.
