Saudi Arabia has recently announced a new coalition of Muslim countries to fight terrorism.

A statement released by the Saudi Arabian government named the 34 participating countries, which it said “have decided on the formation of a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations center based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations”.

It sounded like a positive thing to do given what the Middle East has been going through over the past decade or so. The announcement also came after a series of deadly terrorist attacks in Western nations, like the United States and France.

Given that many in the West are still trying to come to terms with the terror attacks in Paris and California, this announcement may be welcomed in some parts. For some, it supposedly shows that Riyadh and others in the Muslim world are doing more -- stepping up their fight against Islamic extremists.

But for others, the Saudi-led coalition rings hollow, as it was clear from the start that this coalition is a member-only club. For one thing, all the members are Sunni states, never mind that not all of these 34 countries don’t have much in common in terms of political values and ideology.

The fact that those who were left out are Shiite countries, like Iran and its allies, suggests that regional politics, not antiterrorism, still dominates Saudi thinking.

According to the announcement, the idea behind this anti-terrorism coalition is to share intelligence and carry out joint military training and possible combat roles.

But membership means different things to different country. Malaysia has downplayed its role in the alliance, noting that there is no military commitment. And Pakistan said they were surprised that they were named.

Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told the Star, a local daily, that his country was committed to the fight against “militancy.”

In Lebanon, another alleged member state, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said he supported the idea while the country’s Foreign Ministry said the country has yet to commit itself to anything and was yet to be a member in the coalition.

The strongest and most capable military force in Lebanon is Hezbollah, a Shiite group aligned with Iran. Hezbollah is embroiled in the Syrian civil war to keep the administration of President Bashar al-Assad alive. But Saudi Arabia is supporting anti-Bashar forces in Syria. Separately, Iran is pitted against the Saudis in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

In what came across as a wicked diplomacy, Saudi Arabia stated that Iran could join if they wanted to as long as Tehran stops supporting Arab and Muslim terrorists.

Needless to say, the Saudi plan risk intensifying the Middle East’s bloody sectarian conflicts, that have no end in sight.

Antiterrorism was employed as the justification and the reason behind this new seemingly muscular policy. In this respect, the word “terrorism” was tossed around so frivolously that it loses its true meaning.

If Saudi Arabia wants this coalition of antiterrorism to mean something, it has to put aside its politics and learn to work with its rival Iran.

At it stands, the Saudi plan will continue to stir sectarian tensions between Shiites and the Sunni in the region and possibly other parts of the world, at a time when the two sides should really be working together to defeat a common enemy like the Islamic State.

The fact that members of this group don’t see eye-to-eye on a number of issues means the Saudis are unlikely to have created a meaningful and effective international security alliance.

For those who are unable to detect the regional political mindset that underpins this initiative, it may seem like good news. But this is a Kingdom, which, like IS, also beheads the people it most opposes.

Editorial
(The Nation)
(Asia News Network)