Pakistan as security guarantor for Arab states?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and nuclear power Pakistan have signed a mutual defence pact, whereby an attack on one of the countries will be considered an attack on both. The agreement comes days after Israel's attack on Hamas representatives in Qatar. Commentators see potential power shifts across the region.
Driven by distrust of the US
Economics professor Jože P. Damijan outlines various shifts in international politics on his blog:
“One example is the signing of a strategic military cooperation agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. ... In practical terms, this means that Saudi Arabia is seeking refuge under Pakistan's nuclear umbrella because it doesn't trust the US to defend it against potential attacks by Israel. This will have far-reaching consequences in many areas - for the de-dollarisation of Arab oil prices (Saudi Arabia had previously made oil pricing in dollars contingent on US protection), a new land link between Iran and China via Pakistan, the end of the dreams of a Euro-India corridor and much more.”
Prospect of military pact among Gulf states
This could be the inception of a new Nato, Diena speculates:
“Without a strong ally, the Arab monarchies have very limited prospects in the increasingly bitter battle to redistribute their influence. But their only choice for an ally is Pakistan (which has a catastrophic financial deficit). So in the long term the pact may well develop into a kind of Nato equivalent for the Persian Gulf monarchies or for most Arab countries - with Pakistan in the role of the leading military power.”