5 Arab nations join U.S airstrikes

Editor's note: Jane Kinninmont is deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa Program at London-based Chatham House, and is currently directing a research project on Future Trends In The Gulf. Follow @janekinninmont. The views expressed in this commentary are solely the author's.

(CNN) -- The involvement of five Arab countries in the air strikes against ISIS in Syria is a major new development for the region. It is not yet clear exactly what role they have played in what the Pentagon described as "participation and support" for the operation, but this is about symbolism more than military might.

For the U.S., it was vitally important to avoid this looking like another Western attack on a Middle Eastern country, and to emphasize that opposition to ISIS comes from within the Arab and Muslim worlds - where the vast majority of their victims have come from.

Jane Kinninmont

But what's in it for the Arab countries?

The move reflects a combination of concerns about their domestic security and their international reputation. Longer term, beyond the concerns about ISIS itself, it reflects a desire on the part of these Arab states to play a more active role in regional security -- but also illustrates the risks that can affect anyone wanting to become the policeman of the region.

Firstly, these states see ISIS as a threat to their own domestic security. ISIS's ideology doesn't only condemn the "infidel West;" like al Qaeda, it is also dead set against the existing regimes in the Arab states, and wants the states themselves to fall and be replaced by a caliphate.

Saudi Arabia, which has confirmed its air force was involved in Tuesday's strikes, has been the victim of al Qaeda (AQ) attacks before, in 2003-04, and Jordan was bombed by an AQ affiliate led by Abu Musab al Zarqawi, an ideological precursor of ISIS. For its part, the UAE has accused the Muslim Brotherhood of plotting to overthrow it.

The UAE is the most hawkish of the five states when it comes to Islamists, and U.S. officials say that UAE forcesrecently bombed Islamist militants in Libya, a claim dismissed by a UAE minister.

If so, this would be another indication of the growing military assertiveness of this small but wealthy country. However, if it happened it proved ineffective; the militants subsequently took Tripoli airport.

Second, for some Gulf states, especially Qatar, there is a worry that some in the West actually blame them for ISIS emerging. Several Gulf countries have been arming and funding a variety of Syrian opposition groups -- as the West has too.

Gulf states say they've funded only "moderate rebels", and that though this has included some Islamists, they are not ISIS.

But there are allegations of Qatari funding for Jebhat al Nusra, an al Qaeda affiliate, which Qatar denies.

Qatar is also being criticized harshly by Israel for supporting Hamas. For Qatar, therefore, a role in the airstrikes operation is a chance to counter the allegations that it supports terrorism.

It is also a chance to make a rare display of solidarity between Qatar and UAE, who have been at odds because they take opposing approaches to Islamists in the region.

Both the Qatari and UAE air forces participated in enforcing the no fly zone in Libya. But since then they've backed different sides in Libya. Indeed the Libyan PM has alleged that Qatari planes tried to take weapons to the militants holding Tripoli airport.

This evident disunity has weakened the foreign policy credibility of the Gulf cooperation council, the regional alliance of Gulf monarchies, so it has been especially important for the key Gulf players to pull together against ISIS.

The Saudi interior ministry has always been concerned that funding Islamists could lead to blowback. They've seen this before, with Afghanistan. However, it's less clear exactly what covert intelligence operations may have been supported in their bid to topple Assad and combat Iran; and when weapons and money go into a complex and fragmented civil war, it is not always certain where they will end up.

 

U.S. targets al Qaeda linked organization

 

Pentagon details anti-ISIS airstrikes

 

Major problems in the fight against ISIS

 

Jordan: 'We are part of the strike'

There has certainly been private funding from the Gulf; the U.N. has recently blacklisted several private individuals from the Gulf for funding ISIS and JaN.

Several thousand Saudis have gone to fight in Syria -- though with a range of opposition groups, some of which are supported by the West. And there have been claims in the Western media that the Saudi interpretation of Islam itself promotes this kind of exclusionary ideology -- which Saudis reject strongly, saying their religion is against the shedding of innocent blood.

For Riyadh, this is a reminder of the period after 9/11, when U.S. analysts seriously questioned the value of their alliance with Saudi Arabia. Indeed, as part of its response to ISIS, Saudi Arabia convened a regional counterterrorism summit on this year's anniversary of 9/11.

But for the Kingdom to take part in a U.S.- led coalition is something much more dramatic, not seen since 1991, when Gulf forces joined U.S.-led coalition to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. Saudi Arabian forces have been involved in fighting Houthi militants in Yemen in recent years, in a war almost entirely ignored by Western media. But both these conflicts were on their own borders, and had a defensive aspect.

Greater military assertiveness by the Gulf countries, and Gulf cooperation with the larger armies in Egypt and Jordan, are key regional trends to watch.

Gulf countries will remain keen to expand their own limited military capabilities and be less reliant on the U.S., just in case it is not always there to guard them.

Some in the Gulf, including the former emir of Qatar, have expressed frustration that the U.S. was not doing enough to end the Syrian conflict and suggesting that there should be an Arab intervention.

However, until recently, they were talking about an Arab intervention against Assad. With this latest display of military force, the Syrians who sympathize with the opposition will be asking why these countries didn't have the same interest in defending them against regime attacks and chemical weapons.

觀點：為什麼阿拉伯國家都支持美國在敘利亞
由簡Kinninmont，特向美國有線新聞網
2014年9月23日 - 更新2116 GMT（0516 HKT）
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5阿拉伯國家加入美國空襲
新聞提要
五個阿拉伯國家參加了反對敘利亞ISIS的目標或支持空襲，美國說
簡Kinninmont說，他們的支持反映了對安全性和信譽的擔憂
一些海灣國家擔心，西方指責他們的ISIS的崛起，她說：
但親敘利亞反對派會問，為什麼他們沒有干預對阿薩德，她說：
編者按： 簡Kinninmont是中東和北非計劃在倫敦的查塔姆研究所的副主任，目前正在指導一個研究項目未來趨勢的海灣。按照@janekinninmont。發表本評論中的觀點僅作者的。
（CNN） -五個阿拉伯國家的空襲Isis在敘利亞的參與是該地區一個重要的新發展。目前尚不清楚到底是什麼角色，他們都起到了五角大樓的描述，作為運作“的參與和支持”，但是這是關於象徵意義大於軍事實力。
對美國來說，這是非常重要的，以避免這種看起來像一個中東國家的另一個西方的攻擊，並強調反對ISIS來自阿拉伯和穆斯林世界中 - 在他們的受害者絕大多數都來自。
簡Kinninmont
簡Kinninmont
但是，什麼是它的阿拉伯國家？
此舉反映了他們的國內安全和在國際上的聲譽擔憂的組合。從長遠來看，超出約ISIS本身的關注，也反映了這些阿拉伯國家的一部分，一個願望，積極參與亞太區域安全更積極的角色 - 同時也說明了可以影響任何人想成為該地區的警察的風險。
首先，這些國家看到的ISIS作為自己國內的安全構成威脅。ISIS的思想不僅譴責“西方異教徒;” 像基地組織，也堅決反對阿拉伯國家的現有制度，並希望自己的狀態下降，由哈里發所取代。
沙特阿拉伯，其中已確認其參與了週二的罷工空軍，一直攻擊的蓋達組織（AQ）的受害者之前，在2003-04年度，和約旦被炸由AQ子公司為首的扎卡維扎卡維，意識形態前體伊希斯。就其本身而言，阿聯酋指責穆斯林兄弟會陰謀推翻它。
隨著軍事力量這一最新顯示，誰與反對派同情敘利亞人將問為什麼這些國家沒有在捍衛他們對政權的攻擊武器和化學武器的相同權益。
簡Kinninmont，查塔姆研究所

阿聯酋是最強硬的五個國家，當涉及到伊斯蘭主義者和美國官員說，阿聯酋隊最近轟炸伊斯蘭激進分子在利比亞，由阿聯酋部長駁回索賠。
如果是這樣，這將是另一個跡象這個小而富裕的國家日益增強的軍事自信。但是，如果它發生了就證明無效; 武裝分子隨後採取的黎波里機場。
其次，對於一些海灣國家，尤其是卡塔爾，有一個擔心，一些西方竟責怪他們ISIS的出現。一些海灣國家已經武裝和各種敘利亞反對派提供資金 - 因為西方有太多。
海灣國家說，他們已經資助的只有“溫和造反派”，而雖然這已經包括了一些伊斯蘭主義者，他們不ISIS。
但也有卡塔爾資金的指控為Jebhat人Nusra，基地組織分支機構，其中卡塔爾否認。
卡塔爾也被嚴厲批評以色列對哈馬斯的支持。對於卡塔爾，因此，在空襲操作的作用是一個機會，反擊指控它支持恐怖主義。
這也是一個機會，使卡塔爾和阿聯酋，誰一直有分歧，因為他們採取相反的做法伊斯蘭主義在該地區之間的團結的罕見畫面。
無論是卡塔爾和阿聯酋的空軍部隊參加了執行利比亞禁飛區。但自那時以來，他們已經在利比亞支持的不同側面。事實上，利比亞PM指稱是卡塔爾的飛機試圖把武器持有的黎波里機場的武裝分子。
這明顯不統一削弱了外交政策信譽海灣合作委員會，海灣君主國的區域聯盟，所以它一直是非常重要的關鍵海灣玩家齊心協力對抗ISIS。
沙特內政部一直關注的是，伊斯蘭主義者的資金可能會導致後坐力。他們已經看到了這一點之前，阿富汗。然而，這是不太清楚到底是什麼秘密情報行動可能已在他們的企圖推翻阿薩德和打擊伊朗的支持; 當武器和金錢進入一個複雜而分散的內戰，它並不總是一定的，他們將結束。
美國針對蓋達組織掛鉤 五角大樓的詳細介紹防空襲的ISIS 在與ISIS的鬥爭的主要問題 喬丹：“我們是罷工的一部分”
有肯定已經從海灣私人資金; 在聯合國最近幾個黑名單個人從海灣的資金ISIS和月。
幾千沙特已經在敘利亞作戰 - 儘管與一系列反對派團體，其中一些由西方支持的。也有過在伊斯蘭教本身的沙特演繹推廣這種排他性的意識形態的西方媒體索賠 - 沙特的強烈反對，稱他們的宗教是對無辜流血。
對於利雅得，這是一段911後提醒，當美國分析家嚴重質疑他們與沙特結盟的價值。的確，作為其應對ISIS的一部分，沙特阿拉伯召開區域性的反恐峰會今年的週年911。
但對於英國參加在US-為首的聯軍的東西更為顯著，自1991年以來沒有見過，在海灣部隊參加美國領導的聯軍從伊拉克佔領下解放科威特。沙特隊曾參與戰鬥胡塞武裝分子在也門，近年來，在戰爭中幾乎完全忽略了西方媒體。但是，這兩個矛盾是在他們自己的邊界，並且有防守方面。
海灣國家加強軍事自信，並與埃及和約旦軍隊大灣合作，是重點區域的發展趨勢看。
海灣國家將繼續積極擴展自己的有限的軍事能力，並成為對美國的依賴，以防萬一它不總是在那裡守護他們。
一些海灣，包括卡塔爾埃米爾前，都表示無奈，美國並沒有採取足夠的措施結束敘利亞衝突，並建議應該有一個阿拉伯的干預。
然而，直到最近，他們在談論反對阿薩德的阿拉伯國家干預。隨著軍事力量這一最新顯示，誰與反對派同情敘利亞人將問為什麼這些國家沒有在捍衛他們對政權的攻擊武器和化學武器的相同權益。