Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are set to sign a landmark trilateral defence pact in Jeddah on Friday, a move dubbed the potential 'Islamic NATO'. The agreement comes after nearly a year of negotiations as Gulf states face unprecedented security challenges following the US and Israeli attack on Iran earlier this year.

Off the Record

This pact is fundamentally about regional power consolidation. Turkey, a NATO member, is hedging its bets by anchoring itself to Sunni...