It's not often that I agree with the militant Islamic State group, but when that vicious group labelled the recently announced alliance of Muslim states a collection of ‘buffoons and idiots’, there was a kernel of truth in the statement.

When Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman announced the formation of this alliance, he caused bewilderment among many of the members, and derision in much of the world. What he did not cause, however, is fear among either the IS, or in any other terrorist group.

Consider the composition of the alliance: Uganda, Gabon, Benin and Togo do not have Muslim majority populations. States like Comoros, Ivory Coast and Maldives — while no doubt estimable — are not renowned for their military might. Indonesia — with the world’s largest Muslim population — has announced that it has nothing to do with the alliance. Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria are not included. And Pakistani foreign ministry officials said they only found out about the Saudi pipe dream from the media.

So clearly, there is no reason for jihadists to quake in their boots at the prospect of such a fighting force. Not, of course, that the alliance will be doing any fighting. Its self-proclaimed leader, Saudi Arabia, has not exactly covered itself with glory on any battlefield, preferring to pay the Americans and others for protection. While happy to bomb an impoverished and defenceless country like Yemen to rubble from the safety of the air, it has avoided the dangers of a ground war.

So what prompted the Saudis to announce this hare-brained scheme without serious consultations that such an enterprise clearly needed? As it stands today, the concept is an unclear statement of vague intent rather than a well-considered plan of action. It appears that the Saudis, under American pressure to take more vigorous action against IS following the Paris and California attacks, have resorted to the classic bureaucratic manoeuvre of forming a committee.

This is what governments do when pressed by the public to do something in response to a crisis: an inquiry committee is set up, giving the impression of activity. It meets infrequently, and by the time its report is finished, people have forgotten about its existence. Similarly, an alliance has been announced, but as it is not underpinned by any planning or structure, nothing will come of it, except perhaps a few free umrahs for bureaucrats and generals. Meanwhile, the Americans will have been reassured that things are happening, and the Saudis stand shoulder to shoulder with them in their fight against extremist terrorism.

Meanwhile, the source of much of this jihadi violence is alive and well in the kingdom in the form of the virulent Wahabi/Salafi ideology exported by the Saudis to the rest of the Muslim world. It also resonates over the internet to poison the minds of feeble-minded young Muslims living in the West. Despite mounting evidence of the Saudi role in the increasing violence and chaos being created by extremist groups and individuals, the West remains silent; this silence is tantamount to complicity in an ongoing criminal campaign that has caused havoc in many Muslim countries above all.

So why is Washington keeping quiet when their own diplomats and intelligence agencies regularly report on the obvious Saudi link to terrorism? Firstly, Saudi Arabia remains a crucial ‘hinge producer’ of oil, meaning that its output determines the price and volume of oil on the international market. Should it curtail output significantly — as it did in 1973 — high oil prices would cause an immediate global recession.

Secondly, by buying large numbers of modern Western weapons systems, the Saudis keep the unit price down for the manufacturing countries as a large production run means lower prices. Of course, most of these weapons are only used to control their population, and bomb defenceless states like Yemen. Much of the time, they sit in the sun until they are replaced by the latest shiny toys.

Finally — and most importantly — the West is terrified of what might fill the vacuum caused by the departure of the Saudi royal family. After witnessing the chaos caused by the Arab Spring, there seems renewed Western support for the medieval theocracy that runs the kingdom. “Better the devil we know than the devil we don’t” seems to be the current Western mantra.

And it’s true that a power vacuum in Saudi Arabia would destabilise the entire region, beginning with the Gulf emirates. The oil and financial markets would go into a tailspin, and the control of Saudi oilfields in hostile hands could spell disaster for the global economy.

But there are ways of bringing pressure to bear on the Saudi ruling aristocracy that fall short of getting rid of them. The funding of jihadi groups by Saudi businessmen and charities could be brought under greater scrutiny, for example. Visas for Saudi princelings to the gambling casinos and fleshpots of the Western world could be tightened. And financing of madressahs across the Muslim world could be blocked.

However, all this requires political will, and thus far at least, the West, led by Washington, has shown no inclination to take on the Saudis. Meanwhile, the farce of the 34-nation Islamic alliance to fight terrorism will continue, even though it fools nobody. The Saudis will continue to avoid sending soldiers to fight the IS, thereby continuing their proud tradition of talking the talk, but not walking the walk.

Twitter: @irfan_husain

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2016