The signing of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan marks an important development in the Middle East’s evolving security landscape. Predictably, the agreement has prompted speculation about whom it is intended to confront. In a region accustomed to viewing alliances through the lens of rivalry, competing axes and geopolitical confrontation, new security arrangements are often interpreted as the creation of a new bloc against an existing one. That reading risks missing the broader significance of the agreement.

For now, it looks like this pact won’t shift the balance of power; that said, it is not without significance.

Pact will 'reshape security architecture' of the region, experts say.