International Affairs and Global Strategy www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-574X (Paper) ISSN 2224-8951 (Online) Vol.26, 2014 45 Weapons Delimitation in Modern Iran and Ancient Israel Sunday Didam Audu and Afolarin Olatunde Ojewole Department of Religious Studies, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Nigeria. *E-mail of corresponding author: aududidam@yahoo.com Abstract Iran’s development of its nuclear program has been regarded with suspicion over time by the international community. Even though guaranteed by the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) to develop nuclear technology for non-military use, it is feared that Iran may be developing a clandestine program that could lead to nuclear weapons production. This work examines the provisions of the NPT and situates Iran’s right to nuclear development. It discusses the basis on which the world powers place their suspicions of Iran’s true intentions. The paper also does a biblical exegesis of a similar scenario in the book of I Samuel 13:19-23 when ancient Israel, under suspicion of weapons development, was not allowed to develop its metal and agricultural tools industry by the Philistines. The paper concludes that in both cases, the quest for balance of power led to the efforts on weapons delimitation on Israel and Iran. Keywords: Iran, Israel, Nuclear Weapons, Delimitation, Nonproliferation. 1.Introduction Iran’s nuclear program development has been a major source of concern to the international community, especially the Western powers comprising the United States and her allies in Europe. It is a situation described as “one of the most vexing foreign policy challenges confronting the Obama administration” (Edelman, Krepinevich, and Mongomery, 2011). This concern stems from the suspicion that Iran may be developing a clandestine nuclear weapons program, an attempt seen as a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Even though the Treaty makes provision for the development of nuclear technology for civilian and non- military purposes, the major powers feel there is no guarantee that developing the technology would not be abused. This is in view of the potential that countries aspiring to have nuclear weapons think such may give them an equal bargaining platform with the more powerful states. There is also the fear that aggrieved states that are able to develop the weapons would hold the rest of the world to ransom. This may be the major reason why the world powers are working hard on persuading a nation like Iran to abandon any effort it is making at developing nuclear capability. A scenario like this finds a parallel in the Biblical encounter between Israel and her more powerful neighbors, the Philistines in I Samuel 13:19-23. Israel was not allowed to develop any form of metal technology with the fear that it will enable the development of their weaponry, a situation which will jeopardize the then prevailing balance of power against the Philistines. This paper is a critical assessment of one such prevailing scenario, with discussions in four parts. The first part surveys the development of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its provisions. The second part discusses fears of the possibility of some ‘untrusted’ states developing nuclear weapons. The third part carries a biblical exposition of the scenario between Israel and her more powerful neighbors, the Philistines in I Samuel 13:19-23. The last part forms the conclusion by drawing some similarities between the two cases. 2.The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was made to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the world. The treaty was crafted in 1968 and came into force on 5 March 1970. The initiative was put in place by the then American President John F. Kennedy in 1962 after the near fatal Cuban nuclear crisis. He warned of the possibility that there could be twenty (20) nuclear weapons States by the end of the 1970s. The initiative and subsequent ones was to help in reducing the number of States that will develop the nuclear bomb. The Treaty has three major elements sometimes interpreted as a ‘three pillar’ system, with an implicit balance among them: 2.1 Non-Proliferation The Treaty makes it obligatory for all signatories to be committed to not spreading the technology that will lead to the development and production of nuclear weapons. This implies that no more nuclear weapons will be produced as soon as the Treaty comes into effect.