The Mecca alliance meets the Red Sea – Saudi Arabia’s new defense pact faces its first major test
When Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to a mutual defense pact in August, it was principally seen as a political commitment. The “Mecca alliance,” as it was dubbed, stipulated that an armed attack on one would be treated as an attack on all three, accompanied by deeper military cooperation.
This article is part of a collection of short essays written by the Fellows of the Middle East Institute to explore aspects of the ongoing war with Iran. The intent of the collection is to help readers see new and unexpected elements of the dynamics and impact of the ongoing hostilities and to think harder, deeper, and broader about the implications of the conflict.
Turkey: Ankara’s Nuclear Ambitions in the Post-Iran War Environment
In February 2026, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested that shifting international dynamics could push Turkey to acquire nuclear weapons. That rhetoric, combined with Turkey’s civilian nuclear energy and research programs and its indigenous surface-to-surface missile development projects, has fueled concerns that these capabilities could eventually form the backbone of a Turkish nuclear weapons program.
Bashar al-Assad and his top regime cronies appear to be operating under a deeply flawed assumption: the relatively broad-based opposition it now faces is similar to the narrower Muslim Brotherhood challenge it defeated back in 1982 by killing more than 10,000 Syrians in Hama. Much the same way it did 30 years ago, the regime keeps pounding away at the resistance. But unlike the Hama massacre, a few severe blows will not put an end to this latest uprising. Instead, Assad’s brutish tactics will only escalate the bloodshed and resistance.
This Opinion first appeared in The National on February 10, 2012
Despite his popularity at home and abroad, it’s not all roses for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Far from having zero problems with neighbors, Turkey these days is virtually surrounded by neighbors with problems – Greece’s imploding economy, Syria’s civil war, Iraq’s tenuous stability and Iran’s troublesome nuclear program.
The Israeli Peace Initiative (IPI) calls upon the Israeli government to
present a framework for the conclusion of the Israeli-Arab conflict as
a comprehensive response to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
The Israeli Peace Initiative: A Regional Perspective
The Israeli Peace Initiative (IPI) calls upon the Israeli government to present a framework for the conclusion of the Israeli-Arab conflict as a comprehensive response to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. Israeli Peace Initiative signatories include former Israeli Defense Forces chiefs of staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak and Amram Mitzna; former Shin Bet directors Jacob Perry and Ami Ayalon; Ha'aretz correspondent Akiva Eldar; Members of the Knesset (MKs) Dalia Rabin and Colette Avital; and many other distinguished Israelis. Mr.
The oldest peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East, MEI’s flagship journal covers politics, society, and culture in the region.
