Makkah alliance signals a Gulf shift from dependence to diversification

Just three months after its signing, the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani Makkah Defense Alliance has taken a major step toward becoming a fully operational security partnership. Following renewed Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, the three nations last month agreed to activate their collective defense commitments and facilitate the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities to the Kingdom.

Two further moves have added institutional weight to the pact, which was only signed in August: the appointment of retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood as the alliance’s first secretary-general and Turkiye’s parliamentary ratification of the agreement last week. These developments came as Gulf states reassessed how much they can continue to rely on Western military guarantees.