News & Comment
America’s Regional Strategy under the Saudi's Leadership

News

Turkey and Saudi Arabia agreed on establishing a strategic cooperation council on high level. Erdogan and the Saudi King noted that both countries' views on regional issues were nearly identical and that there will be no tangible solution in Syria unless Assad leaves. According to information from Presidential sources, the meeting in the Al Yamama Palace on the occasion of Erdogan's visit to Saudi Arabia is seen as a sign of "friendship, brotherhood and strategic partnership between the two countries". Both leaders highlighted the importance of joint action between Turkey and Saudi Arabia during this critical period of the region. (Source: Aljazeera.com.tr)

Comment

Two important cooperations took place between Saudi Arabia and Turkey recently. The first one is the "Islamic Alliance Against Terrorism", established under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, which is a military coalition of 35 countries including Turkey. The second one, called "High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council", has been set up only between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Two important points make these cooperation agreements meaningful. These two points are to be revealed by answering two important questions.

The first question is 'What is the mysterious reason behind Saudi Arabia leading such initiatives related to regional issues that comprise Muslim countries and especially Turkey?'

The second question is 'What is the true purpose of agreements like "Islamic Alliance Against Terrorism" and "High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council"?

Let us find the answer to the first question by looking back a year. Salman bin Abdulaziz superseded former Saudi King Abdullah who died in January 2015. He put through significant changes in the Saudi government immediately after his succession. He dismissed almost all important persons remaining from King Abdullah's era and made new assignments.

The new king removed former-crown prince Mukrim bin Abdulaziz and all allies of the former king. Regardless of the legal regulations introduced by the former king that prohibited the dismissal of Mukrim bin Abdulaziz from heirship to the throne, King Selman wiped the slate clean.

He appointed his nephew and Minister of Interior, Prince Muhammed bin Nayif, as crown prince. And King Selman's son, Muhammed bin Selman, who is estimated to be around 30 years old, became second crown prince, and at the same time appointed to the Ministry of Defense. Another change was the appointment of Adel al-Jubeir who served as ambassador to the United States and who is no member of the royal family, replacing Suud al-Faysal who was the world's longest serving foreign minister after taking office in 1975.

All of these show that with the death of former King Abdullah who was close to England, all of his men became eliminated from the Saudi government and replaced by the men of King Selman who has much stronger relations with the USA. Hence we can clearly say that the USA has become more efficient and taken over full control in its regional policies, determining its own political road map through Saudi Arabia. In other words, in the upcoming years you can expect a Saudi government actively spearheading the USA's politics in the region. And of course, Turkey is going to accompany Saudi Arabia on this path. Erdogan and Selman's statement of 'identical views on regional issues' alludes this.
Let us turn to the second question's answer - What is the true purpose of agreements like "Islamic Alliance Against Terrorism" and "High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council"?

Which part of the region is regarded as 'terror' by the USA? Of course it is Syria... Therefore; the USA seeks to avoid clashes on subsidiary issues with both, Europe and Russia, and seeks to operationalise all its mechanisms within the region in order to impose its self-defined politics on Europe and Russia. In this sense, it seeks to use the Gulf countries, Turkey and other North African countries under its own control by generating such initiatives over Saudi Arabia. Having a look at the Riyadh conference and at this conference's aim of "ensuring the acceptance of the politics of the USA by oppositional groups in the Syrian region", we are able to foresee the USA's aim of stealing the Islamic Revolution in Syria and utilising Saudi and Turkey more actively to protect the Baath regime's masts. Saudi Arabia's actual more political approach to Syria, after supporting opposition groups in Syria with money and weapons throughout these past 4 years, is another indicator of the change and influence within the Saudi government. However, just as there are those who betray the Muslim's blood, and just as there are the Kuffar's plans; Allah the Almighty makes plans through the hands of sincere Muslims. Allah is over all things competent.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Mahmut KAR
Head of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Turkey