The agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan may herald a new Middle East. The post What the Mecca Defense Pact Means appeared first on The American Conservative .
Foreign Affairs What the Mecca Defense Pact Means The agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan may herald a new Middle East. On August 7, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in the holy city of Mecca to sign a new trilateral defense pact . The birth of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is a significant geopolitical event. It brings together into a security alliance three of the largest and most influential countries in the Middle East. Turkey has the second-largest army in NATO. Pakistan is the only Muslim nation to possess a nuclear arsenal. And Saudi Arabia is a leading oil producer with near-limitless wealth. Though the full text of…Open
China hit by Pacific missile backlash after doubling its nuclear warheads and losing access to a key Congo export [PLA/WeChat] Published August 12, 2026 SUVA, Fiji — China’s latest ballistic missile test in the Pacific [...]
Pledging to protect allies comes with risks. The post France, America, and the Trap of Extended Nuclear Deterrence appeared first on The American Conservative .
Foreign Affairs France, America, and the Trap of Extended Nuclear Deterrence Pledging to protect allies comes with risks. French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Monday that his government was working with eight European countries, including Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and Poland, as part of a new “forward deterrence” strategy that could include having those countries and other European allies join France’s nuclear exercises. He also announced that Paris might “temporarily” deploy its nuclear-armed fighter jets on allied territory. Such moves signaled that Paris intends to adopt a more active nuclear strategy. The new moves also were consistent with Macron’s comment that France would increase its nuclear arsenal…Open