‘All for one, one for all’ pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan seeks to modify security architecture amid global tension
Three flags, one table – and if you squint – a plot that would have made Alexandre Dumas reach for his pen.
A new trilateral defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan has been signed, promising “all for one, one for all” – dressed in the language of collective deterrence.
It is a modern-day version of the Three Musketeers invented by Dumas for his eponymous novel, who agreed to fight as one whenever a fourth struck with a rapier.
And it mirrors the familiar clause that underpins Nato’s Article 5, which holds that an attack on one is an attack on all and will trigger a unified response.
The deal draws on equal strengths: Saudi oil wealth, Turkish military hardware and Pakistani nuclear capability.
But there are questions about whether it will successfully deter or heighten tensions – even though all three members have insisted that the pact is not directed towards any one state.
‘Defence vs confrontation’
The agreement is “defensive in nature”, said Ishaq Dar, the Pakistani deputy prime minister. “It is not directed against any country…[and] is not an instrument of confrontation, but an expression of our collective commitment to peace through strength, solidarity and mutual respect.
