Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey sign defence pact: What its text and subtext reveal

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have signed the 'Mecca Agreement,' a defence pact aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, with a provision that an attack on one state is an attack on all. The article analyzes the pact's text and subtext, noting its non-public nature might undermine its immediate deterrence capabilities. It suggests the agreement's primary purpose is to institutionalize a framework for building Saudi Arabia's military industrial capacity, leveraging China and Turkey's manufacturing expertise through Pakistan. While implicitly targeting Iran, the pact is also seen as directed against Israel, particularly from Turkey's perspective, given recent geopolitical shifts and tensions in the region.