One year ago in Washington D.C., on September 13, 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Bahrain’s Prime Minister, and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa signed a little noticed but precedent-setting agreement that redefined America’s long-term commitment to the Arabian Gulf region. The Comprehensive Security, Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA) is the closest thing that the United States has to an iron-clad security commitment in the Arab world. In the event of aggression or the threat of aggression, the agreement calls for the two countries to “immediately meet at the most senior levels to determine additional defense needs and to develop and implement appropriate defense and deterrent responses.”
Some have called this provision an “Article 4.5” commitment, in reference to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which says that an attack on one member will be considered an attack on all members. Short of a treaty obligation, the United States has never gone as far as C-SIPA in extending security guarantees to the Arabian Peninsula.
But beyond defense, C-SIPA provides a framework for advancing regional economic integration and enhancing multilateral trade and scientific cooperation, particularly in the areas of supply chain resilience and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure.
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As statesmen, we know what is required to keep the peace, and C-SIPA can serve as a roadmap for the future of this strategically vital region. It is a visionary, forward-looking document that offers an alternative to the endless cycles of violence that have bedeviled every U.S. administration since Harry Truman.
With Europe and America to the west, Russia and the Near Abroad to the north and South Asia and China to the east, the Arabian Peninsula and broader Middle East lie at the junction of “four map sheets,” as the British used to say. It has been a central theater of great power competition for centuries.
The ongoing war between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah is a salient reminder that this competition remains as fierce and potentially destabilizing as ever. The Arab states of the Gulf find themselves faced with a dizzying array of inducements and coercion from regional and global powers seeking to expand their power and influence. Added to that is the enduring presence and persistent threat of violent non-state actors whose aim is to replace the edifice of the state and its institutions with an Islamic caliphate.
Military force can provide only limited security. It offers deterrence and response, but it alone cannot address the underlying tensions that fuel conflict. Sustainable peace—the kind that allows for long-term development and growth—requires broad-based cooperation in both trade and defense. We have seen this formula work in Europe (EU), North America (NAFTA) and Asia (ASEAN). In the security domain, initiatives like the Quad (India, U.S., Japan and Australia) and the AUKUS Security Partnership (Australia, U.K., U.S.) represent significant steps forward in building effective and impactful networks of interdependence.
Now more than ever, the logic behind C-SIPA offers a viable pathway to managing great power competition, putting a stake through the heart of violent extremism, and moving relations with Iran in the right direction. By encompassing defense and security cooperation, trade and investment ties, and collaboration in science and technology, it embraces a comprehensive approach to regional stability, one that focuses on building people up, not tearing them down.
Equally importantly, it provides a framework for expanded participation. C-SIPA’s preamble notes “the expectation of welcoming in the future additional parties to this Agreement.” The only path to greater regional economic and security integration is a collective one, and C-SIPA is pointing the way. Partners such as Great Britain and other Gulf Cooperation Council states have both a direct stake in and much to contribute to C-SIPA’s success.
The U.S.-Bahrain relationship says a lot about why America has remained such a valued and sought-after ally in the Middle East. Throughout its modern history, Bahrain has welcomed Americans and shared their values. Today, we work as equal partners in support of a more stable and prosperous region. Our diplomats and armed forces have operated side by side, in the heat of battle and in the corridors of power, to advance a shared vision of free trade, social tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
This vision is the driving force behind C-SIPA. The tangible benefits that this agreement is expected to bring to Bahrain and its neighbors should serve as a powerful incentive for others to join the pact.
Cooperation that transforms people’s lives for the better is the most effective catalyst for peace. It is for this reason that both our nations should intensify their efforts to capitalize on the historic opportunities that C-SIPA offers.
His Excellency Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa is Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States. John W. “Fozzie” Miller is a retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral.
The views expressed in this article are the writers’ own.
