The Trump administration has in recent months been quietly working on creating a new security alliance comprised of six Gulf Arab states plus Egypt and Jordan, unofficially known as the “Arab NATO,” and also dubbed the “Middle East Strategic Alliance," or MESA.
The six Gulf Arab nations are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.
The last Middle East NATO--CENTO--didn't work to block the Soviet Union.
But this time the member states will have an enemy--Iran--that would better unify and focus an alliance.
And such an alliance has the advantage of reflecting a de facto alignment inspired by Iranian regional aggression and pursuit of nuclear weapons.
I wouldn't expect such an alliance to live long past the defeat--or reform--or Iran. But it is worth a shot.
