The Mecca defence pact: A new Sunni bloc or a strategic tool against India?
By locating the agreement in Mecca and framing it around Sunni-majority states, the bloc can be interpreted as a religiously infused security grouping.
Three Sunni Muslim-majority nations - Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia - have recently formed a defense pact dubbed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. The agreement, signed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, aims to bolster collective deterrence against acts of aggression, particularly in light of regional uncertainties and threats stemming from the Iran war.
The agreement has drawn comparisons to a NATO-style alliance, with Pakistan's foreign ministry stating that an attack on any member will be considered an attack on all. However, analysts have cautioned that the pact is unlikely to function as a traditional military alliance, at least initially.
Notably, during the agreement's debut, the Houthis in Yemen targeted Saudi Arabian oil facilities again. The Houthis, who consider Saudi Arabia their enemy and are aligned with Iran, have also been targeted by Iran due to the latter's view of Saudi Arabia as a US ally.
This has led some experts to describe the Mecca pact as an "elastic defense pact" meant more as a deterrent and a means to stabilize the region, rather than a straight-up military alliance. Pakistan is currently mediating between Iran and the US, further complicating the pact's dynamics.
The deal's longer-term goals are expected to involve defense cooperation rather than fighting. The three nations complement each other, with Saudi Arabia relying on the US for defense technology, Turkey possessing advanced defense industries and a need for investment, and Pakistan having a nuclear arsenal, strong military institutions, and requiring financing and industrial capabilities.
The pact's primary targets are believed to be Iran and Israel, although it is not directed at any specific actor or threat. The agreement is seen as an early attempt to establish a third pole in the region, one that can deny either power a monopoly over the area. The development poses challenges for Israel, potentially hindering prospects for normalization with Riyadh and shortening the vision of a 'new Middle East'.
The response from Iran has been mixed, with some observers considering the pact as a step towards pushing the US out of the region.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
