In June of 2013, in the aftermath of the fall of Qusayr to Assad and Hezbollah fighters, we wrote in the Blog entitled ”Stop Complaining, Form a Professional Arab Army” the following:
“With regard to the Arab ruling families and the Arab masses, the fall of Qusayr is a clear demonstration that no Muslim extremist or rag-tag rebels armed with more ideology than bullets will protect them from Iran. Instead of mobilizing Islam, it is high time for the Arab League to think of mobilizing its own security by building its own professional army with one mission: To defeat Iran/Assad/Hezbollah wherever it may be”
Nawaf Obaid, a trusted advisor to al-Saud, is quoted recently as saying:
“Of utmost importance for stability in the Arab world is the creation of a military force that can successfully deter Iranian activities and assist the Syrian rebels in bringing down the Assad regime in Damascus. A military command based at its new headquarters in Riyadh will be established in 2014. The Gulf command will be built into a 100,000 standing military force with the Saudis contributing anywhere between 50,000 to 75,000 troops. The ultimate objective is to guarantee that this new global powerhouse bloc will effectively dominate and significantly alter the political, economic and security landscape of the MENA [Middle East and North Africa] region.”
This is good news indeed because absent an professional Gulf Army to defend the Arab interests against Iran, the Arab street is bound to look for al-Qaeda to save it from Iranian hegemony as I wrote in my last Blog “Beware the Sunni Street”
COMMENTS