WI: Saddam Hussein Gets Nuclear Weapons in the 1980's

redlightning

Banned
What if Saddam Hussein's Iraq was actually able to get ahold of nuclear weapons via purchase or development of its own in the 1980's?
 

Montgomerie Ward

POD: Israel doesn't bomb Osirak. If Iran doesn't bring peace to the table after hearing he detonated one, Tehran becomes a victim of an Iraqi nuclear bomb. If Iran does bring peace, Iraq becomes an unchecked power in the Middle East. If Kuwait doesn't forgive Iraq's debt to them, I'm not sure where he would target. As for Israel, destroying holy Jerusalem would not be a good idea and would only make him a villain to Islam.
 

Franz Josef II

Would it be possible for Iraq to make itself "useful" to Russia in a similar way that Syria did? In Iraq's case, maybe really cheap oil (although they have lots of oil and gas of their own, so...maybe not) or perhaps a military base or two? In exchange maybe the USSR lends some support to help them develop a couple of nukes? If the price is right, perhaps the USSR might even sell a couple to Saddam.
 

seraphim74

Originally posted by Franz Josef II
Would it be possible for Iraq to make itself "useful" to Russia in a similar way that Syria did? In Iraq's case, maybe really cheap oil (although they have lots of oil and gas of their own, so...maybe not) or perhaps a military base or two?
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I think Moscow would prefer Iraq making oil and gas really expensive. Since USSR and later Russia had their own gas and oil supply, and by exporting them they earn a nice profit, high price of gas and oil would be something Moscow would like very much. Iraq as a Soviet proxy directly threatening all of the Gulf are (after beating Iran) to raise the prices - that is pretty much the only scenario I can imagine USSR giving nukes to Saddam to protect him from almost certain US intervention. But even that is IMHO far fetched and very unlikely. USSR was against proliferation of nukes since they helped China to make their own bombs and it didn't work that well. Nukes (even small ones) are simply too powerful to give them easily, especially to someone as unpredictable as Saddam. Even Warsaw Pact countries had no nukes, only means to carry them (planes and missiles). Bombs and warheads themselves were under Soviet control and were supposed to be given to WarPac states only in case of war with NATO, only if absolutely necessary an under strict Soviet supervision.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
Why would it be in the interest of the USSR for Iraq to have nuclear weapons? They didn't want to see the Middle East blown up anymore than the United States did.
 
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