Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The US and Saudi Arabia have reached a landmark civil nuclear agreement that could reshape both Middle East security and great-power competition. The proposed 30-year deal would allow US companies to build Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear infrastructure while opening a pathway to US-built uranium enrichment under bilateral safeguards rather than the International Atomic Energy Agency’s full “Additional Protocol”. Is the deal a strategic victory for the United States — or a risky precedent that could accelerate nuclear competition in the Middle East? In this episode, we examine the details of the agreement, the regional implications, the US–China rivalry and what it could mean for the broader international nuclear order.
*Recorded on July 30, 2026 at 2pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Wen-Ti Sung
Producer: Suvam Pal
Videographer: Celest Kao
Our guests:
Mor Sobol
- Tamkang University Diplomacy and International Relations Associate Professor
Mukesh Kaushik
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Taiwan Fellow
Chapters:
00:00:00 – US Announces Saudi Nuclear Deal
00:01:37 – Rubio Shares Details of Agreement
00:15:36 – Beijing Calls for Calm, Dialogue
00:23:20 – How Could Deal Alter Indo-Pacific?
#USSaudiNuclearDeal #MarcoRubio #IndoPacific #SaudiNuclearDeal #123Agreement #CivilianNuclear #UraniumEnrichment #NuclearNonproliferation #USForeignPolicy #MiddleEastDiplomacy #AbrahamAccords #EnergySecurity #BeijingResponse #ChinaMiddleEast #IndoPacificStatusQuo #GreatPowerCompetition #USChinaRivalry #StateDepartment #MiddleEastSecurity #RegionalStability #NuclearPower #NuclearSafeguards #ArmsControl #DiplomacyInAction #GlobalEnergy #PowerProjection #StrategicPartnerships #Geopolitics #ForeignPolicy #GlobalAffairs #InternationalRelations #RegionalSecurity #StrategicCompetition #EastAsiaSecurity #DefensePolicy #NationalSecurity #SecurityCooperation #TaiwanPlus #TaiwanTalks
The US and Saudi Arabia have reached a landmark civil nuclear agreement that could reshape both Middle East security and great-power competition. The proposed 30-year deal would allow US companies to build Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear infrastructure while opening a pathway to US-built uranium enrichment under bilateral safeguards rather than the International Atomic Energy Agency’s full “Additional Protocol”. Is the deal a strategic victory for the United States — or a risky precedent that could accelerate nuclear competition in the Middle East? In this episode, we examine the details of the agreement, the regional implications, the US–China rivalry and what it could mean for the broader international nuclear order.
*Recorded on July 30, 2026 at 2pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Wen-Ti Sung
Producer: Suvam Pal
Videographer: Celest Kao
Our guests:
Mor Sobol
- Tamkang University Diplomacy and International Relations Associate Professor
Mukesh Kaushik
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Taiwan Fellow
Chapters:
00:00:00 – US Announces Saudi Nuclear Deal
00:01:37 – Rubio Shares Details of Agreement
00:15:36 – Beijing Calls for Calm, Dialogue
00:23:20 – How Could Deal Alter Indo-Pacific?
#USSaudiNuclearDeal #MarcoRubio #IndoPacific #SaudiNuclearDeal #123Agreement #CivilianNuclear #UraniumEnrichment #NuclearNonproliferation #USForeignPolicy #MiddleEastDiplomacy #AbrahamAccords #EnergySecurity #BeijingResponse #ChinaMiddleEast #IndoPacificStatusQuo #GreatPowerCompetition #USChinaRivalry #StateDepartment #MiddleEastSecurity #RegionalStability #NuclearPower #NuclearSafeguards #ArmsControl #DiplomacyInAction #GlobalEnergy #PowerProjection #StrategicPartnerships #Geopolitics #ForeignPolicy #GlobalAffairs #InternationalRelations #RegionalSecurity #StrategicCompetition #EastAsiaSecurity #DefensePolicy #NationalSecurity #SecurityCooperation #TaiwanPlus #TaiwanTalks
