Gulf National Security Is a Need, Not a Choice

According to yesterday’s (Monday) important statements by the EU's Red Sea naval mission "Aspides,” the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion is still in flames after the Houthi attack. While it confirmed that there have been no clear signs of an oil spill so far, the attack, along with previous incidents, raises questions about the fluidity of tensions in the region and the international community ignoring, despite all the demands of moderate countries led by Saudi Arabia, the need to develop a holistic vision for solving all the region’s unresolved issues. These issues include the Palestinian cause, Iranian expansionism, the rise of militias, and the militarization of the region in Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq.
The international community’s neglect means that the region has entered the furnace of sovereignty complications because of the tug-of-war between Israel on one side and Iran and its allies on the other. The latter are exploiting the Gaza issue for political ends and throwing slogans on the table, in an attempt to mobilize people and threaten retaliation, exploiting the current exceptional circumstances as we await the US presidential elections.
These repeated attacks and the international community’s position on them reveal an undeniable truth: reaching a consensus regarding security in the Red Sea is impossible so long as the ethical and political divide regarding the assault on Gaza remains. This divide further deepens the impasse to any solution that seeks to broaden the perspective and precipitate a shift from reactive measures to long-term strategies and solutions that consider long-term repercussions rather than quick results. Amid this state of affairs, we find another fact that we must contend with: developing a strategy to solve the Red Sea security dilemma is primarily a regional matter. The countries concerned, led by Saudi Arabia and other coastal states, must play a fundamental role in shaping the approach to a solution.
This chaos, which the Israeli entity is aggravating with its brutal attacks on Palestinians, is the result of global neglect, the declining significance of the European Union, confusion in the US administration, this administration abandoning rational voices in the region, and the reproduction of a militia culture, which has become a troubling political reality undermining the national security of regional countries, especially the Gulf states. As a result of the lack of genuine pressure on Tel Aviv that could force it to end its assault, militias, through these attacks on the Red Sea, have managed to take the guise of political actors, even if it means destroying Yemen from within.
They also promote slogans calling for the region's militarization and destructive solutions. Militias and armed groups, which are rejected and destabilizing, are thereby turned into tools for exerting political pressure on the international community and for undermining the stability of states. Moreover, these attacks raise the specter of war, which becomes closer to breaking out with every failed round of negotiations to end the war and reach consensus solutions that account for the broader context in the Middle East.
The social implications of militias building strongholds in the countries within Tehran’s sphere of influence are dangerous and long-lasting. Falling into the embrace of militias and their rhetoric essentially means chaos and political coercion, with these militias imposing their will on the masses, who long for a better life. Indeed, human rights organizations have extensively reported on the disruption of schools and the rise of child and adolescent recruitment in these strongholds, making it clear that the problem is bigger than targeting ships or launching drones.
There is a significant political vacuum, there can be no doubt about that. The United States and the international community are largely responsible for it, given their ability to influence and mobilize international political decisions. Moreover, they have shown double standards by unequivocally supporting Israel while hesitating to pressure it, while neglecting the consequences of the growth of extremist and violent rhetoric, as well as all the implications of militias’ propaganda and slogans, which have left us on the brink of a "militia spring." The situation is further exacerbated by the resurgence of ISIS, which is exploiting this vacuum and the conflicts raging in the region, as many research centers and reports have warned. In parallel, major powers have exploited tragedies and done nothing to address them, merely raising slogans.
Maintaining states’ integrity is a difficult task that requires international understanding and support. At the same time, it demands a deep comprehension of the political actors, particularly the political parties involved in the region’s conflicts and helping to shape the media’s discourse in the Arab world. Arab outlets sometimes fall into the trap of supporting the Palestinian cause by promoting the culture of militias and promoting their delusions about illusory victories. This kind of reporting misleads their audience, who fail to recognize that they would be the first to suffer if the state collapses and falls into the grip of armed militias.
Today, the Gulf states need to transform their approach to national security, which is linked to developing their security agencies and defense industries. Only by doing so can they develop "sustainable security strategies" that are complemented by a media and cultural discourse that seeks to navigate the minefield of extremism by taking steps consciously.