The 60 Second Update with

Ilan Berman

3. What are the global ramifications of Iran pursuing and getting the bomb?

In a very real sense, Iran's acquisition of nuclear capabilities would be a regional game-changer.It would provide one of the world's most radical regimes - which is commited to the exportation of its revolutionary principles - with the tools necessary for regional dominance. It would also touch off a dangerous and destabilizing arms race. Back in 2002, on the eve of the Iraq War, there was just one declared nuclear aspirant in the Persian Gulf. Today, there are at least thirteen countries in Iran's neighborhood in various stages of nuclear development. This sudden interest in nuclear technology isn't coincidental. These countries are worried over Iran's growing strategic capabilities, and looking for counterweights to them. An Iranian bomb, therefore, is likely to translate into a dangerous and destabilizing arms race in the Middle East - one that the United States will have little ability to contain or control.

Question 4. The implications of military action

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Ilan Berman is the Vice President for Policy of the American Foreign Policy Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing information to those who make or influence the foreign policy of the United States and to assisting world leaders with building democracies and market economies

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