Trump’s “Arab NATO” withers on the vine

With tensions remaining high in the Middle East, and as U.S. presence in the region evolves, optimism that an “Arab NATO” can be established appears to be dimming.

First floated by U.S. and Arab leaders in 2017, the notion of a Mideast collective defense alliance — formally named the Middle East Strategic Alliance — would include six Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar) plus Egypt and Jordan. The advantage: These Gulf countries already share the benefits of respective military capabilities in joint training and operations, such as the Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen.

But the challenge that experts argue may be too grand to overcome, and which is quite distinctive from challenges faced by NATO allies in Europe, is the state of regional tensions. A strategy for collective defense is far easier to define and execute in times of relative peace, versus conflict.

“The very use of NATO as a shortcut is problematic,” said Emile Hokayem, senior fellow for Middle East security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “Nothing that gets built in the Middle East will look like even the most watered down NATO model.”