From Sykes-Picot to Mecca: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey Seek a New Security Order
By Sameer Arshad Khatlani Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed a defence agreement on August 7 in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, stating that an attack against any of the three countries will be regarded as an assault on them all. The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement comes amid growing doubts about the US as a security provider, even as Saudi Arabia signed a civilian nuclear pact with Washington in July. In 1963, the then-Saudi Crown Prince Faisal told US ambassador Parker T Hart that “after Allah, we trust America,” underlining the depth of their relationship. The Saudi-US ties remain strong, but successive US administrations have sought to reduce their involvement in West Asia. President Donald Trump has vocally articulated the need for allies across regions to spend more on their defence and take more responsibility. The Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy is categorical in saying the US is stretched and cannot shoulder the responsibility alone amid simultane...