MENA's upcoming Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Views from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran

Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia - the three biggest nations in West Asia, or the Middle East, in terms of influence. The history of the three countries is complex, marred between degrees of alliance, cooperation and conflict. The trio is irritated, at least, when going after each other for interests. All three only want to reshape the borders, reclaim what they believe to be the rightful positions three nations' predecessors once got.

Such development reminds me of the famous era of China's Three Kingdoms. First the warlord era, different warlords persuaded different dreams. Then, only three warlords showed their merits: Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Jian. They created their own states, fighting for the unification of China before Cao Cao would end up victorious. Of course, Cao Cao would not live to see his Cao Wei empire ended shortly at the hand of the Jin dynasty, which upheld the promise of continuing Cao Cao's dream of conquest and unified China by surprise.

The era was historically important because of the rapid development of Chinese society and technology, as well as widespread famines and human devastation. China was 56 million people before the warlord era, ended up losing more than 40 million. The devastation of the Three Kingdoms would be the main factor hampering China's progress for 400 years, before the Tang dynasty. Jin's historian Chen Shou, following the unification, tried to recollect the memoirs and published the famous Records of the Three Kingdoms - a major source that inspired Ming dynasty's writer Luo Guanzhong with the famous Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

China's Three Kingdoms have some influence in the modern political landscape of the Middle East.

The romantic yet tragic Three Kingdoms era has seen itself replicated in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa), where three nations emerged as the key players: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran. Of course, I can't compare the leaders of these nations to the historical Cao Cao, Liu Bei or Sun Jian. Yet, the trio has similar ambitions: to become the sole leader of the Islamic world and to make the MENA subjugated.

In this article, I'll try to adjust the viewpoint from three nations' leaderships, rather than the normal populace, to see how the Saudi-Turkish-Iranian axis of confrontation may go.

Iranian viewpoint

You are Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.

In my view, the world is ruled by a bunch of sectarian, corrupt midgets based on the Western concept of the so-called "freedom, human rights and democracy", this land is no exception. Yet they imposed sanctions and refused to acknowledge my own-based democratic government. The West, thus, is nothing but full of hypocrites, selfish conspiring countries that are willing to kill anyone standing against them so they can reinstall the puppet Shah regime, backing so-called "protesters" to undermine my authority. There is no better option outside eliminating Western puppet Israel from the map, but... there are two major headaches for me: Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

How do I think about Saudi Arabia? If you ask me, I see Saudi Arabia as nothing but another bunch of corrupt, conspiring monarchy that worked for the benefit of itself, and is willing to stampede the innocents, in the name of Mecca and Medina, which they are holding. The Al-Saud family turned the Holy Cities of the Prophet into the land of the takfiris, munafiqins, where unorthodox practices against Islam is tolerated at the expense of the true Muslims. Not just that, the Saudis showed they have no interest in guarding Muslim people, they abandoned the Palestinians, waging wars against Yemenis, Syrians, Lebanese, Libyans and Iraqis, blockading Qatar. They've brought Pakistanis to station in Mecca and Medina instead of their own guards - it reveals Saudi Arabia is weak, insecure and always afraid of failure. Saudi Arabia could also only rely on its master in Washington so that they feel better security to export oil and gas, funding Salafist madrasahs across the world, the poisonous Wahhabis who have no morale, no human feelings. The Islamic State once ravaged Iraq and Syria - are funded by no other than Salafi Saudi Arabia - the munafiq of all Muslims.

It's better to rally the brothers of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine, and other devout Muslims - to stand, to fight, under the flag of holy jihad. To remind the people that, Iran, not Saudi Arabia, is with them in the most difficult time. Only Iran, with her revolutionary spirits, that the people of these nations will finally see itself freedom, peace, justice and dignity with the blessings of God, from the cursed hand of the corrupt Saudis. By the will of God, Mecca and Medina will be restored to what they should be stood for: the holiest of Islam - coincide with the wish of the great Ruhollah Khomeini.

About Turkey, I can tell you, unlike Saudi Arabia, we have a complicated feeling. The Turks are our neighbours, whose history is intertwined with Iran. The Turks are more familiar with Iran than the Saudis, we are still cooperating. Turkey stood with us when the West criticised her. Turkey has always welcomed Iranians. We both oppose Saudi Arabia, siding with the poor or the bullied people. We both condemn all kinds of separatism.

Yet, at our most desperate, the Turks will fail us. They backstabbed Iran in Syria and Iraq. They turned Libyan people's life into hell. The Turks openly meddle in Iran's affairs by backing separatists for the so-called "Whole Azerbaijan", filled with the lies propagated from the Turkish regime, in spite of the word honours. The Turks also supplied the Saudis with drones, to murder the people of Yemen. The Turks stated that they sided with Palestine, but in reality, they got no beef with Israel, they do trades freely with the Zionist entity and its American overlord for the so-called NATO. Turkey is not even fully Islamic either - it has traded Islam for Western-imposed secularism that now made the country a land of the munafiq, the fake Muslims.

I can't say I see Turkey with trust. All I see from Turkey is a country reigned by a mad despot, with his dream to recreate the Ottoman Caliphate. But how would he do, if this Caliphate had already been a Caliphate of the hypocrites, where double-standard is applied? By the will of God, we all know the Turkish despot's imperialistic ambitions. And we shall thwart his dream, because, the fake Muslims are no match to the true followers of the Prophet. I'd feel better to bring the Turks to the table, but I shall never concede a single Iranian soil gained from blood and sacrifice, to the hypocrites, descendants of Genghis Khan.

Turkish viewpoint

You are Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of the Turkish Republic.

This land, for a long time after our brave ancestors left, is now a mess, people suffer while the elites eat American food, toying with Russian guns and drink French wines. At the same time, the great Mustafa Kemal tried to emulate into Western-based secular system. He wants us to be all free people, to be a peacemaker, to be treated equally among the West. Yet, decades to decades, the West tries not to engage us, the West does not want us to become a member of the European Union. The West makes us think that we will join one day, then fools us by giving a number of ridiculous demands. That's it! I'll not care about them anymore. I'll restore the lost glory of our ancestors, I'll rebuild what Osman Gazi had started. Still, I can't finish my ambitions, if I can't get rid of a number of our upcoming menaces: Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Iran? Hah, the mullah regime of Iran self-styled the Islamic Republic. The so-called Supreme Leader proclaimed human rights, democracy and purity of Islam under the Iranian version. The Iranian regime doesn't hesitate to throw billions into the war efforts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. The mullahs also try to state how Iran is protecting Islam, that all Muslims should learn from Iran. In reality, Iran's efforts are nothing but growing sectarianism, divisions, more people dying, more people fleeing, the livelihood of the people declined. Everywhere Iran goes, disasters follow. The Iranian regime is nothing but a selfish, unscrupulous regime. I still remember how Iran lied about defending the Muslims of Azerbaijan in the 1990s before ended up supporting Christian Armenia invading Azerbaijani soil. I still remember how Iran gave tacit supports for the terrorist groups PKK and YPG, in the name of Kurdish separatists from Turkey, in spite of guaranteeing with us that Turkey and Iran will not support separatists of each other. The Iranians also recruited Shiites in Pakistan and Afghanistan fighting for Iran, starving to deaths there. Iran also stirs sectarian divisions and violence in Pakistan, our very loyal ally, a pain in my heart. Now, the so-called "Axis of Resistance" spanned from Iraq to Palestine, has turned into an "Axis of Iranian terror", where Iran-backed people corrupt themselves. So much for the unity and honour of the Islamic world under Iran!

Unfortunately, the curse of having a common border forces us to have reservations toward Iran. We have to think if Iran will cooperate. Overall, Iran and Turkey share a somewhat common history and culture for a thousand years, during which, there have been trades going. We can blockade Iran if we want, but Iranians are proud people. If you beat them, they'll fight back. For the sake of Turkey, we'll have to be either better, or lag behind. That's why, I'll strike first, isolating Iran, before finally, making Iran nowhere to find a friend, even if they're Russia or China. If Iran can't change, it should disappear for good.

When it comes to Saudi Arabia, I see nothing but a very small-minded, idiotic government served with a lot of money extracted from oil reserves within Aramco. Yes, just like us, Saudi Arabia is also America's ally, but unlike Turkey, Saudi Arabia can't stand by itself. Turkey, by contrast, has grown defiant, becomes more independent in making its move. Saudi Arabia's inability is seen by the country's own failure to contain Iran since the sand-niggers only gets that far with American supports. A useless oil-rich nation has nothing for me to offer. I resent them since they're useless. I resent them because Saudi Arabia is rich but ruthless, uncivilised and cruel. I resent them even more, the Saudis allied with the Wahhabis, cowardly hiding behind Britain before the fall of the Ottoman Empire so that you can claim you had "liberated" Saudi Arabia.

The country's Crown Prince, a stupid asshole hiding in the mask of a reformer, pretending to be a tolerant leader, yet he can't even reconcile with his dad, who has opposed his ambitions. He has launched a murderous campaign on Yemeni people, evoking bloodbaths in Lebanon, Iraq, Libya and Syria, yet forcing Turkey to bear the costs instead of Saudi Arabia. He and his Emirati fanboys installed puppets in Egypt, they tried to disintegrate Somalia. Yet he shamefully claimed Saudi Arabia is defending the pillars of Islam and is giving the stability. Where are the stabilities? Where are the prosperity you have promised, Saudi Arabia? What are your pillars of Islam, Crown Prince? Why did you besiege Qatar, trying to plot coup d'état in Morocco, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan because they don't support you? You claimed Turkey is Israel's ally, yet you beg the Israelis to help you fighting Iran and Turkey in a desperate move; while Turkey has openly criticised Israel's aggressive behaviours?. How clownish you're!

Saudi Arabia is a failure, nothing but a fabricated fake country, the biggest misery of all the miseries in the region, the full-faced liar and traitor to the Muslim world! Peace shall not come until Saudi Arabia disintegrate. So that peace will be restored in the region, Mecca and Medina shall go back to those who deserved it.

Saudi viewpoint

You are Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

100 years ago, our forefather, Abdulaziz, reunified this desolated land from the bloodthirsty Turkish occupants, returned the Holy Cities to the hand of the Arabs from the Central Asian nomads. For decades, Saudi Arabia safeguarded peace and stability in a turbulent region, God bless him in heaven. Even when facing the risks, our ancestors had shown no sign of fear. But now, the world is changing, we are seeing an unpredictable future, the rise of Turkish and Iranian aggressions have become the biggest challenge.

I feel sorry for Iran. After 1979, it is led by a bunch of despotic, self-styled jurists claiming that they're fighting for the real heritage of Islam, the snakeheads being Khomeini and Khamenei. But Iranians are a sure bunch of myopic people, they fail to forget the grievances of being conquered by us in the 7th century. The Iranians aim, in truth, is for a goal of reconquest, of subjugation, of demographic changes - the restoration of the Persian Empire. This is why they want to spread their radical Shi'ism, where the rule of the mutahs is to be applied, descarating the name of Islam. The Iranians brought nothing but calamities and fatal consequences for the people in the region.

To make it worse, look at Iraq, Lebanon and Syria - poverty is widespread, economies are shrinking, people are fleeing to the terror of Iranian proxies. Iranian puppets are also omnipresent in Yemen, so-called Ansarullah is ruled by a dynasty of the Al-Houthi, the family that has disregarded human beings in Yemen for the Shi'ite demonym. Everywhere Iran goes, calamities come like a consequence of the common. Trusting Iran is like trusting a deceiving demon - the Iranians are nothing but children of magis, Zoroastrian believers, they are not and never Muslims in my eyes. The Iranian government is not the protector of Islam, it is built to destroy Islam. It wants to change the Arabic nature of Islam to Persian, including Persianising Qu'ran. Did the magis understand what Islam mean for them?

I'd say, we will not stop talking, but we will never bow to Iran. We shall not concede what our forefathers built for. The magis should be quiet, because, the custodians of two Holy Mosques decide the affairs, not the foreigners.

The same question - I'd say, given to Turkey as well. It's an invader in the region, it came to this land a thousand years ago, after dispersing the Armenians, Greeks, Arabs and Assyrians. It usurped Islam for its own Caliphate designation. The Turks ignored that, thanked Arabs for giving them Islam, it broke free from the Chinese, yet coming to conquer Arab land and maltreated every Arab subject in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans were never Islamic by birth - they were the pretenders. They turned the Holy Cities into a tool of ground toys for economic monopoly, at the expense of the Bedouins. They made all the non-Muslim subjects discriminated against, something that would be a violation of human rights and a betrayal of Arab culture of tolerance to non-Muslims.

I'd have not criticised Turkey if they had decided to stick with the government built by Kemal, we have used to be good partners, for once persuading the same goal of containing Iran. But now it has chosen a mad dog, who wants nothing but carrying the restoration dream. This is why the Turks are financing the militants in Egypt, Somalia, Sudan and Libya; supporting Qatar's rogue regime; infiltrating with its new madrasahs trying to dismantle the traditional teachings of Islam sponsored by our Kingdom. The Turks are cunning, hateful and devil - a trait born from the face of Genghis Khan's children. The Turks have gone as far as sponsoring terrorists in Azerbaijan, a long-term loyal puppet, invading Cyprus, Iraq and Syria, sending troops to Libya, Qatar and Somalia.

The Turks, however, are not just only ill-fated, they also have no idea who they're facing. We're the children of Al-Saud, the believers of the Prophet. We're born in this desert, we'll never leave until we return to God. If they think they are prideful, they should keep their heads before too late. Because the citizens of this Kingdom shall fight, and prevail, like how the ancient Arabs have been, to this world! And you Turks will do nothing but standing hopeless.

Conclusion

This is my private prediction if I were granted to ask these leaders, but I could immediately understand what would come next if this continues to evolve. Currently, the MENA is being trisected by the thirsts of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - both persuaded different ambitions and goals only for one thing: complete domination. Saudi Arabia holds some edge about the ability to co-opting pan-Arabism and pan-Islamism with massive economic wealth, but Saudi Arabia has not done well. Coincidentally, Iran - Saudi Arabia's arch-rival, misused its pyrrhic win in the Levant and Iraq and instead worsened Iran's own reception. Turkey, though more successful in expanding influence, has faced increasing stern opposition from nations like Libya, the UAE, Bahrain, Chad, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, as well as some elements in Somalia's self-autonomous Somaliland, who saw Turkey as a meddling power. Israel is sometimes considered as a "fourth power", however, Israel is too irrelevant for the three bigger nations, which led Israel somewhat sidelined.

Who shall survive in the final quest will affect greatly the scenario of the future MENA, a region where people find little peace.