Security
Mecca defence alliance
With the Iran war dragging into its sixth month with no exit in sight, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey gathered in Mecca on 7 August to sign a trilateral defence agreement. Built on the earlier Saudi–Pakistan defence pact, the Mecca defence alliance marked a shift in the power dynamics of West Asia, as Zahid Hussain reports from Islamabad.
Signals from Shangri-La 2026
US allies in Asia, as in Europe, are increasing their military spending in response to President Trump’s new doctrine. But three years of signals from Asia’s premier security forum tell a more unsettled story than Washington may be prepared to acknowledge. Howard Zhang reports.
What future for the Quad?
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, is an informal strategic grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the US aimed at countering China’s growing military power and influence in the Indo-Pacific. Its leaders have not met formally for some time and, as Rahul Bedi reports from Delhi, the organisation is under strain following President Donald Trump’s disparagement of its three other members.
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