New Defense Pact Between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Concerns U.S. National Security Experts

A coalition of Sunni regional powers signed a historic joint defense pact on Friday, but national security experts expressed deep unease over the arrangement, arguing that it reflects U.S. shortcomings in the Middle East while raising serious questions about its practical military feasibility.

…

Jonathan Ruhe, a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, similarly labeled the agreement as problematic, noting that it reflects U.S. diplomatic shortcomings rather than an effective counterweight to Tehran.

“This alignment is problematic to the extent it is about Washington and its regional relationships, not Tehran,” Ruhe said. “These three countries have almost zero shared ability or interest to meaningfully contain Iran. The Trump administration certainly should have done better coalition-building before the Iran war.”

Ruhe added that for Turkey, the pact serves to “support Ankara’s longstanding pretensions to be a major player and arms exporter in the Middle East and beyond, independent of the United States and NATO.”

…