The Mecca Pact: What Do We Actually Know?

In the latest episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast, hosts Katie Putz and Ankit Panda discuss the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement -- a collective security agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in early August. They dive into the motivations for the pact on the part of all three members, the role (or lack thereof) of nuclear deterrence within it, and take a moment to compare it to other collective security arrangements like the CSTO. There are few concrete details available about the pact, but given the tumultuous regions its members span, it’ll be tested soon. You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.