Daily Times

A declaration by Saudi Arabia of the formation of a 34-state military alliance to combat the growing threat of terrorism in the Middle East on its own shows the authoritarian mentality of the Saudi rulers. According to an official statement issued by Saudi Arabia, the military coalition will operate against terrorist elements in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan. The alliance comprises a long list of Arab and other Muslim countries with a joint operations centre based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations. Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival Iran was not included in the list, nor was the Shia-dominated government of Iraq or the embattled regime of Syria. This exclusion is part of the anti-Shia policies of Saudi Arabia that has given a sectarian tinge to this coalition while safeguarding its own narrow Wahabi agenda for the region.

The alliance has been announced it seems without proper consultation and in an impulsive way without doing any homework. Who will lead and who will follow the alliance is the toughest nut to crack. It is more like a sectarian alliance and there is a lot of scepticism regarding its actual practicability. The Saudis have become so arrogant that they consider all Muslim countries and their rulers as their subordinates. They thus do not find it necessary to even discuss or obtain prior consent. A cause for concern is that the Saudis have talked about militancy in general and did not make a direct reference to the growing dominance of Islamic State (IS). Rather it has turned a blind eye to the activities of IS in Syria and Iraq, in the former because of its obsession with removing Bashar al-Assad, the latter since the Shia regime is anathema to Riyadh. The second major issue is that the alliance mainly comprises Sunni states while excluding Shia-dominated countries. It seems that the Kingdom has announced the alliance without consulting all or major countries. Pakistan was the first country to lodge a complaint with the Kingdom. It has sought a clarification from Saudi Arabia for including its name without consulting it. There are also speculations that Saudi Arabia has announced this coalition following months of pressure from the US to do more to tackle terrorism in the Middle East.

No one can deny the importance of a united stand by all countries against the scourge of terrorism. However, it should be based on equality and straightforward policies without any sectarian or self-centred bias. Saudi Arabia should have consulted all concerned states and taken them into confidence before announcing the coalition. Terrorism is a common challenge and all states should cooperate and jointly work to eliminate this threat.*