This is John Bachelor, speaking with Henry Sikalski, my colleague, he is the Executive Director of the

Non-Proliferation Policy Education Center about the ambition of Saudi Arabia, MBS in particular,

to acquire a nuclear power plant for Saudi Arabia, the oil-rich

gas-rich Saudi Arabia. What does that mean for bomb-making? I ask Henry that, what is the difference between acquiring a nuclear power plant?

At least 15 other countries are interested as the Saudis are interested in nuclear power.

Perhaps they can explain it as green technology, perhaps they can be less

dependent upon outside sources of oil and energy given the delicate situation in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, or perhaps they can

make bombs.

Here's Henry's answer between nuclear power and nuclear power plant bomb making.

More of this later.

No and yes.

I think no, a nuclear power plant doesn't mean that a country is going to get a bomb.

There are ways to safeguard or inspect those activities,

depending on the kind of power reactor it is such that you'd get

pretty good warning of a possible bomb option. The problem is is when a country

gets one of these big power programs and intends to get a bomb,

oh my gosh your ability to keep track of what's going on is not very good.

So it depends almost entirely on the motive state rather than the

technical ability to detect things.