Facing huge political and security challenges in the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia now looks westward to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden coast for a new regional security arrangement.
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar. They accused Qatar of supporting extremist and terror groups in the region, having close ties with Iran, undermining the security and stability of the Gulf region, and using the satellite television network Al Jazeera as a propaganda machine. They also put up a list of demands before Qatar, to be accepted within 10 days in order to end the boycott.
Since the outbreak of the Arab unrest, sectarian politics has become more pronounced throughout the West Asian region which is reflected in the growing polarisation of society and politics on narrow sectarian lines. Rulers have adopted sectarian approaches as a measure to secure their regimes.
The GCC is witnessing a massive diplomatic crisis because of Riyadh’s assertiveness, on the one hand, and Doha’s resistance to a Saudi-dominated regional order, on the other.
The end of decades of autocratic rule in Egypt is marked by the beginning of a march towards a democratic political system and the rise to power of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Despite political differences over regional issues, India and Saudi Arabia are intensifying cooperation on issues of mutual interest such as terrorism, piracy, security cooperation, and intelligence sharing.
The West Asian region is undergoing a phase of massive turbulence since the outbreak of the Arab Spring. This period has been marked by popular protests, internal conflicts, civil wars, military interventions and involvement of external players. The regional security situation remains fragile with a new terrorist entity, the Islamic State, emerging to challenge the existing geographical boundaries of the region. There has been an enormous increase in terrorism and extremism, and the non-state actors have gained significant influence in regional politics.
Egypt under President Gamal Abdel Nasser and India under the leadership of its first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were the torchbearers of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Their commitment to socialism also kept both the leaders and countries drawn towards each other.
Modi’s visit to UAE needs to be seen in the larger context of strengthening ties and further widening the scope of India’s engagement with the Gulf region.
While both Saudi Arabia and Iran vie for power and influence, Yemenis continue to suffer and the country seems to be slipping into further instability.
The New Saudi Initiative of ‘Arab and African Coastal States of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden’
Facing huge political and security challenges in the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia now looks westward to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden coast for a new regional security arrangement.