Gulf leaderships and their Arab allies are cementing old ties and forming new ones in response to threats. Togetherness is certainly the right way to go. It is just a pity that it has taken decades for their eyes to be opened. Provided Arab states, particularly Sunni states, can find common foreign policy ground, they could be a force to reckon with in terms of economic weight, diplomatic influence and military might.
A de facto Arab bloc is currently being nurtured that comprises states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt) that are like-minded on various troubling issues. Topping the threat list is, of course, Daesh (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), which is not only occupying great swathes of Iraq and Syria but also has its eyes firmly fixed on Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and disseminates its twisted ideology throughout the neighbourhood and beyond.
Until recently, the very idea of Arab unity elicited hollow laughs. The emerging existential threat from Daesh and other takfiri groups has galvanised Arab governments to set aside their differences in order to tackle this growing menace head-on. Moreover, there is little doubt that Arab leaders have become increasingly disillusioned with their US ally, which has hardly been a force for good in the Middle East and North Africa region since 2001 when US President George W. Bush went on the rampage in Iraq and removed Saddam Hussain, whose regime acted as a buffer between Sunni states and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Washington’s interventions in Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Afghanistan have bore no fruit except death, destruction, economic or social collapse — and, worse, they are indirectly responsible for burgeoning sectarianism and terrorist recruitment.
The US was quick off the mark to interfere where it was not wanted, but stepped aside to permit the Bashar Al Assad regime in Syria to continue killing its own people and has been accused of making mere superficial attempts to eliminate Daesh. The Obama administration has also raised eyebrows for its seemingly cozy relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, deemed “terrorist” group by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. And at a time when the Arab world is suffering from instability, insecurity and raging conflicts, Obama is actively courting Tehran and pivoting his foreign policy eastwards. America’s old ‘Pottery Barn Rule’ — ‘You broke it, you own it, you fix it’ — has been preempted by self-interest. Now that the US is not only self-sufficient in oil, but has also become an exporter, Arab oil has lost its gloss — and consequently its market clout. However, that may be a blessing in disguise in as much as heads of Sunni states have seen the writing on the wall projected in flashing neon and are finally taking their destiny into their own hands.
To start with, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have recently repaired their rift with Qatar in a spirit of brotherliness, ahead of the upcoming annual Gulf Cooperation Council summit — to be held in Doha next month — and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz is urging Egypt to follow suit. Cairo responded positively, announcing that it welcomes the monarch’s appeal and “looks forward to a new era, folding the differences of the past”.
It is worth noting that according to Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi, a presidential pardon for convicted Al Jazeera staff is under consideration and, moreover, there is a new law on the table, allowing for foreign offenders to be repatriated to their home countries. For its part, Doha has pledged to support Egypt going forward, King Abdullah says.
Furthermore, Egypt, Saudi, the UAE and Kuwait are mulling a military pact with a view to forming a joint rapid reaction force to counter Iranian territorial and ideological ambitions, to confront terrorist organisations and to combat extremist militias bent on transporting Arab countries back to the Stone Age. The fact that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are active players within the US-led coalition against Daesh symbolises a reawakening in terms of self-reliance and the need to get proactive in order to prevent the region from collapsing into anarchy. Moreover, the relationship between Riyadh/Cairo and Moscow, though complicated by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s continued backing for the Al Assad regime, has warmed. Egypt has signed a $3.5 billion (Dh12.87 billion) arms agreement with Russia, reportedly bankrolled by Saudi Arabia and the UAE — a deal that was hammered out when the US suspended aid to Egypt as well as delivery of F-16s and military equipment.
The news is just out that Putin is scheduled to visit his Egyptian counterpart early next year, which will certainly create waves in Washington. Riyadh and Moscow are on the same page over oil-market manipulations, resulting in plummeting prices, according to the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, who announced last Friday that “We [Russia] and our Saudi partners are against shifting markets as a result of political or geopolitical schemes”.
Arab unity and partnership diversification could be a regional game changer. More power to those countries working together to light up their part of the world in its darkest hour!
Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com
