A New Regional Bloc: Is the Arab and Islamic World Moving from the Margins to Agency?

By Ramadan Ahmed
Reports circulating in recent weeks, amid rapid geopolitical shifts in the Middle East, suggest the emergence of a regional bloc bringing together Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan, with indications that Iran has submitted a request to join.
Regardless of how advanced these discussions may be, or whether they ultimately materialise into a formal institutional framework, their political significance is substantial. They reflect a growing awareness among regional states that the international system is entering a new phase—one in which Western dominance is gradually eroding, and the contours of an as-yet incomplete multipolar order are beginning to emerge.
The central question, therefore, is not whether such a bloc has already come into existence, but what it could signify for the global balance of power—and whether it offers a genuine opportunity for the Arab and Islamic world to move from being a passive subject of international politics to an active participant in shaping global equilibrium, after decades of dependency and containment in the post-independence era.

The International Context: The End of Western Certainty
The world is witnessing an accelerating erosion of the West’s ability to impose the rules of the international order as it did in the aftermath of the Cold War. A succession of overlapping crises—from Ukraine to Gaza, from energy insecurity to supply-chain disruptions—alongside phenomena such as the kidnapping of heads of state and open threats against others, signal not strength but systemic fragility. Together, these developments have exposed the limits of Western power, not only in military terms, but also politically and morally.
As this relative decline has unfolded, a vacuum in global leadership has become increasingly evident, prompting both major and middle powers to compete to fill it—each pursuing its own interests and strategic priorities.
In this environment, it is no longer viable for Middle Eastern states to remain confined to the role of policy-takers, or to serve merely as arenas for proxy conflicts. This is what lends particular significance to any meaningful rapprochement among states that possess demographic weight, economic capacity, military strength, and the ability to project influence beyond their immediate borders.

The Foundations of Power: Capabilities Alone Are Not Enough
Measured in terms of raw potential, the proposed bloc possesses formidable assets: a vast population base; a strategic geography encompassing some of the world’s most critical maritime corridors; extensive energy resources and sizeable consumer markets; alongside substantial military capabilities and increasingly sophisticated defence industries.
Yet modern history offers a sobering lesson: possessing the elements of power does not automatically translate into sustainable influence. Influence is not determined by scale alone, but by the ability to coordinate policies, manage internal divergences, and construct durable frameworks of shared interests over time.

The Real Challenge: From Tactical Alignment to Strategic Project
The principal challenge facing any such bloc lies in avoiding its reduction to a temporary alignment driven by a passing political moment. Past regional initiatives have frequently faltered under the weight of internal rivalries, external polarisation, or an overreliance on reactive decision-making rather than strategic foresight.
For this bloc to exert meaningful influence, it must be underpinned by a minimum level of shared vision. Fundamental questions must be addressed:
What kind of regional order is being sought?
Is the objective primarily defensive, economic, political—or a carefully balanced combination of all three?
Equally critical will be the management of long-standing disputes among its members. Success does not require the absence of contradictions, but the capacity to contain and manage them through institutional mechanisms that prevent their escalation at the first sign of crisis.

The Economy First—Not Slogans
Comparative international experience consistently shows that sustainable influence begins with economic integration. The development of trade and investment networks, the integration of supply chains, and the launch of joint initiatives in energy, transport, and technology are what transform alliances from political declarations into concrete realities. By contrast, alliances grounded primarily in rhetoric tend to be brittle and short-lived.
Independence of decision-making is equally essential. Any bloc that becomes merely an extension of another global camp forfeits its strategic purpose and risks reproducing dependency in a different form.

A Conditional Opportunity, Not an Inevitable Moment
Current global transformations present a rare opportunity for the Arab and Islamic world to redefine its position within the international system. Yet this opportunity is conditional, not inevitable.
It may be harnessed to build measured, incremental influence grounded in stability and mutual interests,
or it may be squandered—as so many opportunities have been before—through internal rivalries, misjudgement, and strategic short-sightedness.
The question, then, is no longer whether a bloc is taking shape, but whether it possesses the political will and strategic clarity required to act effectively in a multipolar world—rather than remaining a peripheral presence on its margins.

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