Introduction
Since the political structure of the Middle East was shaped post-World War I, numerous security concerns have emerged. Ethnic and religious divisions, coupled with power struggles within states, have led to chaotic outcomes in terms of political stability. The invasion of Iraq, the Arab Spring, the Syrian crisis, the rise of the ISIS terrorist organization, the Sunni-Shiite civil war in Yemen, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, all starkly illustrate the current state of the Middle East’s political landscape. These developments underscore the necessity for an alternative approach to the policies of both regional and global actors. A structure that can resist external interventions, prevent social-level radicalization and terrorism, reduce security dilemmas, and shield states from the aggressive attitudes of both regional and international actors could provide a solution to the region's security challenges. In this context, it has become evident that the Middle East requires a form of collective security system. Given that religion is the most potent dynamic in the region, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) naturally emerges as the first candidate for such a collective security framework.
The OIC has remained passive and failed to take significant steps in addressing numerous issues, particularly the longstanding and chronic Israeli-Palestine conflict in the Middle East. Understanding the reasons behind this passivity is crucial to comprehending why the OIC has not been effective in addressing specific issues and to gaining insight into how any collective security or defense structure might be effective in the region as a whole.
