ISTANBUL — It was a milestone moment.Leaders from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan were meeting at a palace overlooking the Grand Mosque in Islam's holy city of Mecca.Sitting side by side that day, on Aug.
7, at hardwood desks set against a backdrop of silk drapery, the three leaders put pen to paper and signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.Described by some as the birth of a "Sunni Security Triad," the agreement combines Saudi Arabia's oil wealth, the growing defense might of Turkey, which already fields NATO's second largest military, and Pakistan's nuclear capabilities.It includes NATO's Article 5-style language, that any armed attack on one of the three Sunni Muslim states is regarded as an attack on all of them, and a commitment between them to exchange intelligence and defense technology.But perhaps more important than the contents of the deal, the agreement symbolizes a cornerstone of an emerging regional security architecture and a hedge against post-U.S.
geopolitical uncertainty.Loading...According to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Ankara was a main driver of the talks that went on for three years.And analysts say it was pushed by Ankara's vision that aims to slowly establish Turkey as a central player in the Middle East, a region rocked by years of war that has shaken longstanding power dynamics.Turkey's broadening defense-industrial base leaves the country less dependent on the West militarily (though it still craves F-35 jets from Washington).
It has also widened its military reach: it has bases in Somalia, Qatar, Libya and is playing an increasingly central role in shaping Syria as it emerges from a decade of civil war.Turkey has also deftly used cultural soft power — its TV shows are watched across the region — and humanitarian causes — building schools across the region — to gain influence.
And Turkey has cast itself as a capable mediator to help bring an end to global conflicts, from Ukraine to Iran.Turkey's bid for greater ...