Recently, an old notion of having a regional military alliance in the
Middle East similar to alliances such as NATO remerged. The idea is always
appealing, due to the various challenges threatening the region, but it is
important to note the very high level of contradictions within the region,
which will make achieving such alliance very hard. Furthermore, it is crucial
to refer to the fact that such alliance would not be have an ideological basis
similar to the NATO model.
اضافة اعلان
At regional level, there is already a high degree of
security coordination that increased due to the common challenges and threats
countries are facing. Politically, since the appearance of Daesh and up to the
start of the peace process between Israel and the Gulf states, the situation in
the region changed significantly, with Israel joining the US Central Command.
The realignment of the US Central Command indicates that Israel is within its
area of responsibility, a development that warrants military and security
coordination between Israel and the 20 countries of the USCENTCOM.
There is no doubt that the inflamed situations in
Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, and the attempt to stir instability in the
Gulf states altogether led to the re-emergence of the call for a wider Arab
security and military coordination.
These multiple challenges require revisiting the concept of national security. It is crucial to remember that the model of national security is not limited anymore to military and security issues. Today, national security is the tool to ensure the effectiveness of the public-development policies.
The position of the Gulf countries shapes the
Iranian policies in the region. The recent threats and attacks on UAE and Saudi
Arabia have brought back the need for stronger coordination and
threat-countering policies.
In Jordan’s
case, threats and challenges originate from the deteriorating regional
situation; this definitely requires efficient military strategies and
continuous focus on security, anti-terrorism, criminality and drugs. The
protracted regional crises are a strong factor that warrant Jordan to focus
equally on internal challenges. Thus, at the present, it is of utmost
importance for Jordan to tackle issues related to the economic situation,
including development, unemployment and, above all, food and water security.
These multiple challenges require revisiting the
concept of national security. It is crucial to remember that the model of
national security is not limited anymore to military and security issues.
Today, national security is the tool to ensure the effectiveness of the
public-development policies.
At the same time, water security should be the
priority of the national security in Jordan, given that it represents the key
tool for solving many problems relevant to agriculture, development, tourism,
quality of life and food security. Therefore, it is of great urgency for Jordan
to seek the know how in the water desalination field to face the
life-threatening water insecurity.
For a country like Jordan, any regional military
alliance is not more important than implementing the National Water Carrier
Project (Aqaba-Amman water desalination and transport project). The main goal
of our national security plan should be to counter domestic challenges, crucial
to preserving Jordan’s internal stability during such difficult regional
circumstances.
Amer Al-Sabaileh is a Jordanian university professor and geopolitical expert. He is
a leading columnist in national, regional, and international media, offers
consultancies to think tanks and speaks at international conferences on Middle
East politics and developments.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
