Scott Ritter -Birds of a FeatherThe Mecca Pact may not be the Middle East equivalent of NATO. But it does reflect a new reality when it comes to the security architecture of West Asia.On February 28, 2026, the United States joined with Israel to launch an illegal war of aggression against Iran. In the months that have followed, not only has the United States failed to achieve any of its articulated military and political objectives, but is forced to confront the reality that for the first time in its history, it has suffered strategic military defeat at the hands of an armed foe. This defeat has resonated globally, where the conventional military weakness exhibited by US forces, demonstrated by their failure to accomplish their military objectives in Iran and their inability to adequately defend the Gulf Arab nations, Jordan and Israel from Iran retaliation, has left nations who had once staked their security—individually and collectively—on the notion of viable US security guarantees struggling to find an alternative arrangement. Read more: scottritter.substack.com/p/birds-of-a-f…