Mecca defence pact risks wider conflicts, pre-1914 comparison

Three countries — Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan — made a special promise to help each other if one of them gets attacked.

They signed this agreement in a city called Mecca.

Saudi Arabia has a lot of money, Turkey has strong soldiers and flying drones, and Pakistan has the only nuclear weapons in the Muslim world.

The leaders think this promise will keep them safe.

But some people who study the world are worried.

They remember that a long time ago, many countries made similar promises to help each other.

When one small fight started in a place called Sarajevo, all the promises pulled many countries into a huge war.

The article calls this the old problem.

It could happen again in West Asia today.

So the new pact might actually make big wars more likely, not less.