“Chinese experts broadly interpreted the Mecca Agreement as both a consequence of the collapse of the old regional order and an early attempt by Middle Eastern states to develop greater strategic autonomy. Although they recognized the agreement’s current limitations – including different security priorities among its members and uncertainty over the implementation of its collective-defense provisions – they see it as a potentially important framework for more flexible, multidirectional regional cooperation.”
Eva Ragozzino is author of the issue “The Chinese Debate on the Mecca Agreement and the Changing Security Landscape in the Middle East” of the ChinaMed Observer.
