Introduction
This debate had two groups, one supporting the idea that Saudi Arabia should establish a worldwide navy force that traverses a large area beyond its borders. This team was labeled group 1 and had four participating members. Group 2, on the other hand, was made up of three people who were opposed to the idea of expanding the country’s navy force. The two groups tried to outdo each other, with group 1 members suggesting that a global navy would protect the interests of Saudi’s and its allies.
They equally felt would make it an emerging power in the seas, and be ready for war. On the contrary, group 2, while opposing, stated that Saudi Arabia should modernize its current establishment to be responsive to its demands. Members argued that the country is safe, has no enemies, and is not in competition to be a world military power. Likewise, team 2 debaters said that setting up a global navy is expensive in terms of logistics, maintenance, and recruiting and training personnel. This paper will critically analyze and critique all the points raised by group 1 and put them into perspective.
Seas around Saudi Arabia and the Threats
It is true that a larger percentage of the land mass on the earth’s surface is covered by water bodies. Thus, the proponents of this debate were factual; some of its members suggested that about 71% of the world is occupied by water (Water Science School, 2019). On top of this, the oceans and seas hold close to 96.5% of the world’s water (Water Science School 2019). The country has coast regions along the Red Sea to the west and the Persian (Arabian) Gulf to the east, both covering about 2,640 km (Nations Encyclopedia, 2022). Given the conflicts in the Arab world, this area bordering the seas would require some protection.
In terms of geopolitics, the Saudis have always negotiated and overcame many turbulent events within the region without being destabilized, and this trend will most likely continue in the near future. This is evident because, in over 10 years, the country has managed to withstand the Arab Spring and a disastrous war with Yemen (London, 2022). Internationally, Saudi Arabia has had a strong historical relationship with the United States of America that runs close to eight decades. This strategic partnership is anchored on promoting peace, stability, and security within the Middle East and the world at large (The White House, 2022). Therefore, it means that the Saudi government’s foreign policy believes in solving international disputes diplomatically and through cooperation, not through military power. In this case, group 1 members’ argument for establishing a global navy base is weak and could result in resource waste.
Global Navy to Protect Saudi Arabia
The biggest interest of the Saudi people is the stability that guarantees them economic prosperity. Currently, Saudi Arabia is the leading exporter of oil in the world. Its numbers stand at 16.5%, followed by Russia, Canada, Iraq, the United States of America, and the United Arab Emirates (Workman, 2022). Geographically, the country has porous borders along its coastline that require its security forces to tighten its operations. Further, because the Persian Gulf is strategic for its home reservoirs and exports to Asia, the borders around the seas are, therefore, sensitive and need serious security operations (Guzansky and Barak, 2021).
Within the region, Iran has been the biggest threat to Saudi Arabia, and the two countries have been in constant conflict for many years. In several instances, Saudi oil infrastructure and oil containers have been attacked by Iran and its allies. In addition, its allies, such as the United States, Pakistan, and other Arab countries, have retreated in support to assure it of tight security (Guzansky & Barak, 2021). All these events have increased the possibilities of threats within its borders, including along the coasts.
However, this only requires the country to modernize and transform the existing Navy system in place, as was suggested by members of group 2 while opposing the topic. For instance, in recent years, Saudi Arabia’s defense apparatus has been unable to cope with heavy barrages from Iran and its allies despite purchasing the most advanced technology (PAC-3 Patriot batteries, THAAD systems).
The country equally has limited naval capabilities, although it boasts of having shipping lanes via the Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab Straits (Guzansky & Barak, 2021). Iran is superior to Saudi Arabia in this arena because it makes use of an array of small and quick vessels that attack faster. In contrast, the Saudi navy is relatively small and obsolete and exists to cope with symmetrical navies in the Gulf region. Its naval capacities in the Red Sea are low, making the country weak to confront the Houthis and Iran. The country simply needs to upgrade its naval infrastructure, which includes acquiring new technology and training military personnel, in order to meet the demands of its security, interests, and those of its allies.
Making Saudi Arabia Emerging Power in the Seas
On this section of the debate, group 1 members proposed that having a worldwide naval force would make it compete for maritime control against the United States and China. The group even suggested that the country should overlook its long, cordial ties with the U.S. because countries should only be guided by permanent interests. This argument is faulty in the sense that, through a strategic alliance with America, Saudi Arabia’s international interests are cared for by the U.S. (The White House, 2022). Thus, it does not need to waste finances on an unnecessary partnership with an international partner, as it could increase its external threats in the deep seas.
In any case, the points raised by members of group 2 make sense. For starters, as some members pointed out, Saudi Arabia already has a larger economy in the Middle East and does not have significantly larger enemies in the Seas to justify such investment. Secondly, Saudi Arabia should not focus on its military presence around the world but should maintain peace to enhance the safety of its citizens for proper economic development.
There is evidence that points to the country as the anchor of stability in the region and beyond (Asseri, 2022). Saudi Arabia, as the largest economy supporting struggling Arab states, sets the agenda for the Gulf Cooperation Council, and as a leader in the energy sector, it stabilizes prices. This puts them in a powerful position to negotiate complex relationships with conventional powers such as the United States, Europe, China, and Russia (Asseri, 2022). Furthermore, these distinctive features have enabled Saudi Arabia to overcome difficult times within and outside the region; hence, it does not need to be a naval and military powerhouse.
Expensive Logistics for Worldwide Navy
Group 2 members, while opposing the topic in the debate, suggested that heavy logistics are required to establish an excellently functioning global navy infrastructure. The most striking point was that large navies must be able to manage their supplies and replenishments far from home. Thus, it will need a good number of vessels to seamlessly maintain the operations. Furthermore, there was a feeling among group 2 members that such an investment would require many big ships and aircraft, together with recurrent maintenance costs, and recruiting and training personnel to handle the system.
This part of the debate is true because supply and logistics are crucial to the naval forces’ capability to compete in any environment (Irion, Ekman, and Ryan, 2020). The Marine troops must be trained and given the competence to plan and create systems that allow visibility of naval logistics. Certainly, this project is very expensive and would need a large financial investment. For example, the United States is still investing in 100 unmanned boats and ships patrolling waters from the Red Sea into the Persian Gulf by next year (LaGrone, 2022). These vessels will be integrated with artificial intelligence tools on shore to monitor for military threats or illegal activities, and Saudi Arabia, as an ally, could benefit by tapping into this service.
Conclusion
It is true that water bodies, particularly the oceans and seas, take up the largest proportion of the earth’s surface. Further, Saudi Arabia’s coastline borders the Red Sea to the west and the Persian (Arabian) Gulf to the east. This poses security challenges to the country due to the fact that the Middle East is very volatile, and there are constant threats from Iran and its allies. However, these are problems that only require Saudi Arabia to invest in modernizing and transforming its naval forces to make them responsive to the demands of the 21st century.
The country is already an economic power in the region and has a strong history of good relations with the United States anchored on peace, security, and stability in the Gulf and throughout the entire world. Therefore, it can use these links and diplomatic means to neutralize threats. Consequently, it does not need to invest heavily to give its navy a global presence.
Reference List
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