The Mecca Agreement: A New Experiment in Regional Strategic Autonomy
The deal calls for political and military coordination, joint exercises and air-defense cooperation as Gulf states seek new protection from missile and drone threats.
6 Articles
6 Articles
The Iran war, which began half a year ago, has not only consequences for the US, Israel and Iran. The self-image of the Gulf states has also been questioned. They rely on new oil export routes and regional alliances. By P. Jens.
The Mecca Agreement: A New Experiment in Regional Strategic Autonomy
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, 2026 by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, should not be viewed merely as another military arrangement in an already fragmented Middle Eastern security environment. Its significance lies less in the immediate military capabilities of the three signatories than in the model of regional security that it …
Six months after the start of the war with Iran, the first features of a new security model in the Gulf are now evident. Six months after the start of the war with Iran, the Persian Gulf seems to be entering a new era of security. The American presence remains the most important pillar of regional defense, but the states of the region now seem determined not to depend exclusively on it. In place of a single security system, a more complex networ…
For decades, Gulf security was based on a familiar structure: the United States provided the main external security umbrella, Gulf states maintained bilateral relations with Washington and other Western capitals, and the Gulf Cooperation Council provided a regional framework within which defense integration remained uneven.
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