George Perkovich and Sinan Ülgen assure us that Turkey "won't go nuclear", amid fears that the Middle East would see a nuclear arms race, should Iran be allowed to keep its uranium-enrichment programme! They maintain Turkey's nuclear programme is still nascent and mainly for civilian purposes - to reduce its reliance on energy imports.

Indeed, in 2010 the Turkish government signed a contract with Russia to build the country's first nuclear plant on the Mediterranean coast near the port of Mersin. close to a highly active faultline. A Franco-Japanese construction of a second nuclear power plant on the Black Sea, near the city of Sinop will soon follow.

But the authors have failed to mention that Turkey's rush to build dams, hydro and nuclear power plants is its "Great Leap Forward", which would only destroy the country's heritage sites and environment. Thousands of dam and hydropower schemes are being built on almost all of the main rivers, angering villagers and environmental campaigners.

That Turkey does not harbour any ambition to build nuclear weapons doesn't come as a surprise! It is a NATO member and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which prevents the spread of nuclear weapons and and weapons technology. If Turkey were found cheating, the costs would be too high, as it would be punished by the international community. This would only "jeopardize its ability to meet growing demand at an affordable cost".

As world powers gather again to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute with Iran, by reaching a deal, the authors say Turkey would stick to its policy of not "going nuclear". They see a "nuclear arsenal" wouldn't help Ankara "reduce the dangers posed by Syria’s violent disintegration, the rise of the Islamic State, and the unresolved challenge of Kurdish separatism". They believe a nuclear Turkey would only fray Turkey’s relations with Iran, despite currently "manageable" relations.