Rivalry Aside : Uniting Against a Common Foe

The Othmane Empire was never quite able to conquer the wild sands of the Nejd. A bitter and historic rivalry emerged between the Turkish and nomadic Arab people. One that has lasted over a hundred years and, back in the days it was popular, inspired folk songs where Turkish soldiers marched to their peril in the Arabian desert.

Changing geopolitics, as well as an ambitious new king on the Saudi throne, has brought forward a new set of minds to re-examine the timeless rivalry for a new common threat.

President Erdoghan & King Salman

Last night, a special aircraft landed in Istanbul Ataturk Airport. On board were several top foreign policy and military advisers as well as  King Salman Abdel-Aziz Al-Saud himself. The monarch was greeted by his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Erdoghan.

At the Turkish border, Syria and Iraq are in a state of chaos. Da3ch and insurgents have engulfed most of the region into an ethnic and religious war.

Saudi Arabia has recently been testing out their armed forces against Yemen, but is now looking to expand its fight against the Chi3a from another front.

King Salman is looking to unite, militarily, with Turkey to take down Bachaar Al-Asaad. Asaad has not taken care of his country and now stands as a problem towards the safety of the region. The two regional powers, Turkey and Saudi, are now seeking to take out Bachaar and put another government in place. Ideally, this will give serious traction into furthering fighting terrorist groups like Da3ch and keeping the money flow from Iran out of other free fighting groups located within the Chams region.

The goal here is stability. And it starts with a firm handshake amongst old foes.