Publication

The commentary analyzes the reasons behind Saddam’s wish to want the Bomb based on records that were captured after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The authors state that Saddam hoped that acquiring nuclear weapons would provide regional prestige and security from foreign attack, his desire for the bomb was also thoroughly wound up with his revisionist aims regarding Israel. Saddam hoped to liberate lost Arab territories, and he believed that nuclear weapons would provide the deterrent power necessary to wage a conventional war against the Jewish state.