Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (R), Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (3rd R), Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (4th R), and Saudi King Salman (5th R) watch the Northern Thunder exercises in Hafr Al-Batin, near Saudi Arabia’s border with Iraq, March 10, 2016. REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/

It was a grandiose spectacle which upcoming generations will long remember; tens of thousands of soldiers and army units of 20 different nations coming in together for the first collaborative work of its kind. The occurrence took place on a 900 Km squared vast zone in northern Saudi Arabia nearing Iraqi borders. Before any other military signaling, the North Thunder military drills did not only stand to be an unprecedented military exercise, but also to send out a political message. Some understood that, others listened to it, and several others etched it into their minds.

It is the first robust memo practically sent out by regional countries, and it clearly affirms that they are capable of stopping any attempt trying to toy around with their security and stability, and a first in which no world-power nations are needed to employ the’ umbrella organization’ tactic.

The North Thunder drill has established a new balancing equation for the region. The figures computing that equation first began adding up at the launch of the Decisive Storm operation, then enhanced at Hafar Al-Batin, and finally fortified themselves with the North Thunder military drill.

I believe that four underlying statements are denoted by the North Thunder drill. The first message is directed to all those plotting to spark out chaos and to pounce down nations; to all groups and militias that have established themselves a state within a state.

Each of Hezbollah, ISIS, al-Qaeda, the Popular Mobilization Forces and all other extremist terrorist organizations are addressed when the fact of the Islamic Military Alliance not permitting the continuance of the terrorist chaos and the sapping of its nations’ security and stability is being anchored.

The second point is made to all great nations and regional historical allies, and it is that regional alliances have become of equivalent value to traditional alliances. The current state is not restricted to having regional coalitions alone functioning, not that they have weakened or are being meant to be disposed of, it is only because certain subjects require for the countries themselves to personally attend them.

However, it is not a cut-edge “take matters to our own hands” action, but more of a “resolve our own personal matters”, instead of waiting for a country like the U.S. to decide on whether we should fight terrorism or not, in its own terms, strategies and visions. It is a balance struck between preserving the great power traditional alliances, not completely abandoning them, and not solely depending on them.
As for the third message, it addressed our Gulf’s eastern bank neighboring republic, Iran. It defined that the attack is not targeted against it- the Iranian system is incapable of withstanding any direct confrontation- and attested to the drill’s strategy not being based on inducing a military confrontation.
The North Thunder’s strategy lies among the lines of fighting Iranian proxies and militias spread in the region. Thus the message depicts that all Iranian proxies and militias infiltrating countries will be sized down and cut off, not in a terror-inspired approach, which Iran is quite experienced with, rather in a tactic aligned with international law and by means of politics and military capacities.

Last but not least, the fourth message is a signal out to all the coalition-supporting nations that their countries are fully prepared and have the common military creed to confront all challenges and threats, telling them not to undermine their capabilities.

The League of Arab States (LAS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have long been held responsible for the failure of facing regional challenges afflicted on nations. It could be said that all grand-scale political and economic projects instigated by the two above organizations have never succeeded.

However, for the mission on forming a somewhat unified military force, it has flourished after the latest session resolved to approve it.

It is noteworthy to recognize that what the LAS and OIC have previously failed to accomplish over the past decades, has been realized by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz within a year. The reasons behind that success are not because of Saudi Arabia’s political, military, or even economic strength; it rather is because the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia alone is capable of establishing such alliances, reinforcing and strengthening them, that is all there is to it. All Kingdom allies recognize that fact fully. Saudi Arabia is not aiming to play a role; it wants to meet the expectations posed on its part.