The idea that national security is interconnected, with the security of one country affecting that of another, is an undeniable reality, not merely a rhetorical flourish.
This is especially true of the security ties between Egypt and the Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, which faces Egypt across the Red Sea, with the Sinai Peninsula bringing the two countries almost together by land. From the shores of NEOM, the lights of Sharm El-Sheikh are visible at night.
Saudi-Egyptian solidarity has deep historical roots. During the 1956 Suez War, known as the Tripartite Aggression, Saudi Arabia stood by Egypt under King Saud. Several Saudi princes, including the future King Salman, even joined volunteer campaigns to defend Egypt.
The story of Saudi support for Egypt during King Faisal's reign and the October War, also known as the War of the Crossing, is well documented, particularly the measures Faisal and Saudi Arabia took concerning oil exports.
Then came King Abdullah's reign and the upheaval of 2011 and the years that followed, during what was called the "Arab Spring." Everyone remembers how Riyadh stood by Cairo during those difficult times.
Nor should we forget Egypt's support for Kuwait under the late President Hosni Mubarak during Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion, when Gulf security was at stake.
Today, Egypt has a president with a profound sense of historical responsibility. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi saved his country from chaos and led it through a second crossing, this time toward security and development.
On Saturday, speaking at a graduation ceremony for a new class at the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital, El-Sisi called on parliament to convene an emergency session and grant him a mandate to take whatever measures Saudi Arabia might request.
He stressed that Egypt "will take any action to defend its brothers in the Gulf."
The Egyptian president also affirmed that "Cairo will take any action to protect and defend its brothers, in accordance with the directives of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."
El-Sisi specifically urged Egyptians never to forget the support Gulf countries have provided to Egypt since 2013, thanking them for standing by his country.
Indeed, Egypt's House of Representatives decided to hold a plenary session on Sunday in response to the president's request.
The security of the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia and Egypt is inseparable from that of Yemen. Securing it means protecting Yemen, its state and its people, against the ambitions of the extremist, fundamentalist Houthi movement, which has shown the world the dangers of its arsenal and the incendiary political and ideological delusions that drive it.
The time has come for resolve and decisive action.
As the great Arab poet Abu Tammam said:
"The sword is more truthful than the books,
Its blade divides earnestness from jest."
