Gulshan Dietl replies: The Brotherhood is primarily political seeking to confront the imperialist West as also the godless regimes in West Asia. The Saudis, on the other hand, follow Wahhabism, which is primarily religious seeking to purify Islam and restore it to its original glory. At the peak of pan-Arab ideology across the Arab world, Saudi Arabia had provided asylum to the members of the Muslim Brotherhood who sought refuge from Nasser’s Egypt or Hafez al-Assad’s Syria. Since then, the Saudis and the Muslim Brotherhood have been on divergent paths. Beyond the ideological differences, there are serious political considerations. The onset of “Arab Spring” has seen the ascendance of Muslim Brotherhood in post-Spring states. Egypt has always been an influential regional power in West Asia. The Muslim Brotherhood there could be an inspiration for pro-democracy movements and consequently a threat to stability in the Kingdom. The former Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Nayef was reported to have said, “The Muslim Brotherhood is the cause of most of the Arab World’s problems and has done vast amounts of damage in Saudi Arabia.” Unsurprisingly, therefore, the Saudis have generously supported the interim regime in Egypt.

The Saudi-Qatari rivalries run deep in spite of the fact that both follow Wahhabism, are rich in energy resources, are ruled by monarchies and have strategic ties with the US. Qatar has a small population and an enormous wealth. In the circumstances, the “Arab Spring” did not manifest itself in Qatar. In fact, it provided the country an opportunity to project its role in the region and beyond. The new ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim al-Thani, is expected to bring about reconciliation between the two royal dynasties.

Gulshan Dietl replies: Saudi Arabia is a unique country at least in two specific details. One, it possesses more than a quarter of the global oil reserves and has been the largest oil producer for over half-a-century and, more importantly, it is the only country with a spare production capacity. Two, the holiest Islamic shrines are located in Makkah and Medina, placing the country in the epicentre of the Muslim sacred space. In economic terms, oil is the largest component in India-Saudi Arabia relations. One-fourth of India’s oil imports come from Saudi Arabia, making it the fourth largest trading partner for India and India is the fifth largest market for the Saudi exports. The trade between the two stands at $36 billion annually. Nearly two million Indians work in Saudi Arabia, and 136,000 Indians visit Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj every year.

The Saudis are keen to cooperate with India in educational, research and technological fields. We have agreed to set up institutions of higher learning in Saudi Arabia as also to provide educational opportunities for Saudi students in India. There are Memoranda of Understanding between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation, the Indian Institute of Science and the King Saud University, the Indian Space Research Organisation and the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing and the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and so on.

Since last year, there are moves to develop cooperation between the defence establishments of both the countries. Last year, the Saudis deported Abu Jundal, who was wanted in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, making counter terrorism a key area of cooperation between the two countries.

Sarabjeet Singh Parmar replies:The Island of Socotra lies in an extremely strategic position, 80 kilometres due east of the Horn of Africa and about 380 kilometres south of Yemen. Measuring 120 by 40 kilometres, the island occupies a vantage position in the North Western Arabian Sea and commands a dominating position over the waters of the Red sea and Gulf of Aden as well as the waters south of the exit point from the Strait of Hormuz into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Therefore, from a military view point, the Socotra archipelago is of significant strategic importance. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union had a military presence in Socotra, which at the time was part of South Yemen.

As per reports, the US since 2010, has been secretly building infrastructure on Socotra that would support air, sea and land operations. In addition, the US is also reported to be using the Omani island of Masirah. This 70 kilometre long island, about 1000 kilometres north of Socotra, lies just south of the Hormuz Strait entry point to the Gulf of Oman and equals Socotra in strategic importance. These islands would give the US the flexibility to deploy its assets over a wider area and specifically out of the Gulf region where it faces Iran, yet remaining within striking range.

As per reports, the region is witnessing the heaviest buildup of US forces since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. The implications are staggering. The steady and heavy militarisation of this region can only possibly point to the growing US preparation to take on Iran in case of a conflict. This is an aspect that has implications for the resident nations in the region. US bases and presence on these islands would not only aid the US in strengthening its presence in the IOR but also reduce the load on Diego Garcia (Diego Garcia is around 3000 kilometres south and in size is comparatively much smaller) in terms of aiding more strategic poise and in the ability to support more assets.

However, the veracity of the reports is suspect as such a development would have caught the attention of the world as it cannot remain hidden for long.