(Well founded fears, I should add, being Paranoid isn't half as bad as being Accurately Paranoid) Saudi Arabian attempts to joint the nuclear club could result in their "going nuclear" in a way they don't intend.

"highly unlikely"? See, this is why it's important to try to look at the Big Picture, and not take issues one by one, on a purely ad hoc basis. Does anyone remember a little business from a couple of years back concerning an "Axis of Evil"? That got a lot of riducule from the ignorant, the fatuous and the ill-willed, but it's a key insight into American strategic thinking, these days, and it's important to try to understand what it means. Briefly, the concept is that there are several nations working, hard, to develop nuclear weapons. North Korea and Iran are two, right now. The North Koreans, especially, are very close, if, indeed, they haven't already built one or two working nuclear devices. Now, the possession of nuclear weapons is not, in itself, necessarily a grave threat to anyone. America has never been worried about the British nuclear capability. Neither does America fear attack by Israel. What matters is not only possession of these weapons, but what is or is likely to be done with them. North Korea, especially, is quite clearly a threat not only locally, on the Korean peninsual, or, even, directly to America by the threat of North Korean attack. What is the worst threat is that, having nuclear weapons, NK will go into the nuclear bomb export business. And, the first people on line at the sale window ARE people whom we have good reason to believe will use those weapons, and probably against either us or our allies. Similarly, in the long run, we have serious concern that Pakistan might be willing to provide nuclear weapons to allies in the Islamic world. Especially to allies who may be able to pay large amounts of hard currency, both on and off the books. And, in this catagory falls the Saudis. IOW, while we don't have much need to fear that the Saudis will, *in the short term*, develop the ability to build their own nuclear weapons, there is much more reason to worry that they will be able to ***buy*** nuclear weapons from one or another country. These events are not isolated. What's going on in the world, right now, is connected and part, at least, of American policy stems from the perception of the connections.

If true, that would be quite worrying. All they would need is nukes to place on the missiles and I am sure Pakistan may be willing to provide them with some in exchange for a large infusion of cash into Pakistan nuclear programme.

What's the worry? Affraid the'll outgun you? :-D

The worry is that the unstable regime in Saudi will collapse and these weapons will fall into the hands of Wahabi fanatics. In fact, elements of the regime are themselves hostile to the West...

The only reason why Saudi would all of a sudden seek nuclear weapons is due to the fact that they are now expendable. As soon as Iraq is up and running the US will no longer need that back stabbing gas station that is Saudi Arabia. In a sense they will leave it to the Islamic radical dogs now that they don't need their oil. In fact thats what they are planning to do, so Saudi is trying in vain to survive. All they are ensuring is that they go out with a BANG!

If you're not worried enough then you could consider the possibilties of an economically collapsing Saudi Arabia armed with nukes. http://www.twf.org/News/Y1999/1101-SaudiOil.html

http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/oct/21nuke.htm Pak-Saudi N-pact signed: Report October 21, 2003 14:50 IST Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have concluded a secret agreement on nuclear cooperation, reports UPI Editor-in-Chief Arnaud de Borchgrave. "It will be vehemently denied by both countries, but future events will confirm that Pakistan has agreed to provide KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] with the wherewithal for a nuclear deterrent," Borchgrave quotes an 'unimpeachable source' in Islamabad as saying. "In a lightning, hastily arranged, 26-hour 'state visit' in Islamabad, Crown Prince Abdullah Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, flew across the Arabian Sea with an entourage of 200, including Foreign Minister Prince Saud and several cabinet ministers. The pro-American Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan, who is next in line to succeed to the throne after Abdullah, was not part of the delegation. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met Abdullah at the airport and saw him off Sunday night with a 21-gun salute," said Borchgrave In Washington, Mohammed Sadiq, Pakistan's deputy chief of mission, said the report about Pakistan and Saudi Arabia reaching agreement on nuclear cooperation was totally wrong. "This is against our policy," Sadiq told UPI. "Pakistan would never proliferate its nuclear technology. It's a very clear policy. This was not even discussed in the talks we held with the Saudis in Islamabad this week. It was not even on the agenda. It is out of the question." The CIA believes that Pakistan exported nuclear know-how to North Korea in exchange for missile technology. Last year, a Pakistani C-130 was spotted by a satellite loading North Korean missiles at Pyongyang airport. Pakistan said this was a straight purchase for cash and denied a nuclear quid pro quo. "Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia," the Pakistani source explained, "see a world that is moving from non-proliferation to proliferation of nuclear weapons," says Borchgrave. Pakistan, under the late dictator General Zia ul-Haq decided to pursue the nuclear option following India's first nuclear test in 1974. Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is now estimated at between 35 and 60 weapons. "The Sunni Saudis have concluded that nothing will deter Shiite Iran from continuing its quest for nuclear weapons. Pakistan, on the other hand, is openly concerned about the recent armaments agreement between India, its nuclear rival, and Israel, a long-time nuclear power whose inventory is estimated at between 200 and 400 weapons. Iran and India, located on either side of Pakistan, have also signed a strategic agreement whose aim is regarded with suspicion in Islamabad," says Borchgrave. Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali is scheduled to fly to Tehran later this week. To counter what Pakistani and Saudi leaders regard as a multiregional threats, they have decided quietly to move ahead with a two-way exchange -- free or cheap oil for nuclear know-how and expertise, Borchgrave concludes.

Debka is also reporting this as well, so there may be something to it. Their accuracy leaves a lot to be desired of course, but the more sources reporting this, the greater the likelihood.