The Middle East is a tinder box of geopolitical tension. The volatility of the area sends ripples across the globe through shocks to the price of oil and the ongoing threat of terrorism. The immensely destabilising impact of the emergence of another nuclear power in the region, notably Iran, makes it highly dangerous. With the Arab Spring transforming the region, adding the highly disruptive impact of nuclear capability to an already volatile situation could be potentially disastrous.

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