Cumhuriyet: The United States wants to assign the protection of Saudi Arabia to Turkey and Pakistan
The United States has shifted the protection of Saudi Arabia to Turkey and Pakistan, Cumhuriyet writes. At first glance, the creation of the “Mecca Alliance” is a step towards strengthening regional security. However, in fact, it is with his help that Washington will "delegate" its tasks in the Middle East to the ally.
Mehmet Ali Guller
American Senator Joe Wilson was the first to welcome the decision of the Meccan Alliance to provide "military support" to Saudi Arabia. This alone should serve as a warning. Wilson gave two important signals in his statement on this issue.
1) "I am grateful to our allies — Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia — for mobilizing the alliance in the fight against the Iranian-backed Houthi aggression."
2) "The Mecca Defense Alliance can become the Middle East NATO."
Trump's expectations from the Mecca Alliance
Ufuk Ötesi readers will probably remember that Republican Senator Wilson approved the creation of the alliance from day one, saying: "Now is the time for Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to destroy the Houthis."
From the point of view of Wilson and others like him, the Mecca Alliance is part of US President Trump's "Middle East strategy."
Indeed, the statement of the American leader himself in support of the alliance also pointed to this: "I am very glad to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have recently finally signed the Mecca Agreement on joint Defense. This agreement shows how the Middle East is coming together and how countries can finally defend themselves more effectively. This is a big, bold and important step. Wow."
The United States entrusts the protection of the Saudis to Turkey
The key passage in Trump's statement is as follows: "... shows how countries can finally defend themselves more effectively."
This was part of the Trump administration's "Donro Doctrine" related to allies. The United States, aiming to dominate the Western Hemisphere, was going to share its affairs in Europe and the Middle East with the allied states. American officials interpret this message as a "burden-sharing strategy."
This is exactly what Trump means when he says, "They will finally defend themselves." Thus, Turkey and Pakistan are actually taking over the United States' defense of Saudi Arabia!
The Meccan Alliance on the same front with Israel
From the very beginning, we have been paying attention to the dual nature of the Meccan Alliance. The positive thing is that it can be an alternative to the American security architecture. But, on the other hand, the alliance continues the US strategy of burden-sharing and takes a stand against Iran.
The fact that Turkish and Saudi officials interpret the Meccan Alliance as "complementary to their alliance with the United States" is more in favor of the latter. Now, with the decision to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in opposing the Houthis in Yemen, the weight of this initiative is completely shifted to the second scale.
Positioning against the Ansarullah (Houthi) movement in Yemen de facto means positioning against Iran in the Middle East. More importantly, opposing the Houthis and Iran means being on the same front as the United States and Israel.
US Goal: Middle East NATO
When we combine the assessment of Turkish and Saudi officials, who view the Meccan Alliance as an addition to their alliance with the United States, with the fact that this alliance, as Trump pointed out, "will take on the task of protecting the Saudis," the true goal expressed by Wilson becomes clear: "The Meccan defense Alliance can become a Middle Eastern NATO."
So why are the Turkish authorities taking on this task? What does Saudi support in Yemen have to do with Turkey's national interests? Is it just about helping to attract capital from the Persian Gulf countries, or is this compatible with the economic model of the Justice and Development Party of Turkey based on the "military industry", or is Ankara again striving for "neo-Ottoman leadership" in the Middle East through fulfilling the tasks of the United States?
Apparently, all three factors are at play here, as they all facilitate and complement each other. The fact is that, as we have seen many times over the past 24 years, such steps create serious problems at the strategic level, and the way back leads to heavy costs.
