The president’s pointless trip to Saudi Arabia
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President Obama announces additional sanctions against
Russia on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday.
Photo: EPA
As President Obama prepares to visit Saudi Arabia on Friday, many
in the Middle East are wondering why he is making a trip with no
discernible purpose. No one is quite sure what Obama is supposed to do
while in Riyadh.
According to the White House, in addition to a one-on-one talk with 90-year-old Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, Obama hopes to attend a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council. But there may be no summit — since the GCC is now badly split.
The council’s members are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
One bloc — the Saudis, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates — is determined to curb Iran’s ambitions in Iraq, Syria and Bahrain while taming the Muslim Brotherhood in Sunni Arab states.
Oman and Qatar, forming a second bloc, have forged close ties with Iran in the hope of challenging Saudi Arabia’s “Big Brother” pretensions. Qatar is also bankrolling the Muslim Brotherhood. Kuwait is trying to mediate between blocs while keeping Iran sweet.
The split is partly a result of religious and territorial disputes.
In 1954, Oman and Saudi Arabia fought a war that ended with Saudis capturing chunks of the Buraimi Oasis, rich in water and oil. In the ’70s the Saudis backed a rebellion against the sultan of Oman. Religiously, a majority of Omanis are of the Ibadi sect of Islam, while Saudi Arabia is dominated by the Hanbali school.
Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Oman (so far the only Arab country to invite him) and announced a project to build a bridge over the Strait of Hormuz. The bridge would enable Iran to send troops into the Arabian Peninsula in minutes.
The UAE and Oman, meanwhile, have territorial counter-claims in the Mussandam Peninsula. Qatar has territorial grievances against the Saudis (claiming ownership of oil-rich Khor al-Udaid) and is also in dispute with Bahrain over oil and gas resources offshore of the Hawar Islands.
To complicate matters further, the seven emirates of the UAE have divergent policies, notably on Iran. Abu Dhabi urges a tough stance against Tehran, while Dubai helps Iran circumvent sanctions imposed over the nuclear issue.
The GCC came into being with the Reagan administration’s support as a bulwark against the mullahs in Iran and Russian influence over Syria and Iraq. Decades later, the strategic retreat led by Obama has undermined US power and prestige as a major player in the region.
Indeed, some of Obama’s policies are signs either of a deliberate strategy to end American leadership, or of ineptitude.
In Egypt he sided with the Muslim Brotherhood, whetting the group’s appetite for domination in the Arab world. Even when the Brotherhood was caught plotting a coup in Abu Dhabi, Obama looked the other way.
Qatar saw Obama’s support for the Brotherhood as endorsing its own policy of funding the organization and giving it exposure through the Al Jazeera TV networks. That, in turn, heightened Saudi anxiety with fears that Washington might back the Brotherhood in a power grab in the kingdom.
Next, Obama announced “red lines” on Syria but ended up giving Russia the final say in shaping US policy.
The Saudis, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait are all concerned about what they see as Obama’s “caving in” to the mullahs in Tehran. They see Obama’s frequent references to a fatwa by “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei as tacit recognition of Tehran’s claim that Khamenei is leader of the Muslim ummah.
For Washington’s GCC allies, Russia’s blitzkrieg annexation of Crimea was the last straw. “Putin seized Crimea to ‘protect’ ethnic Russians. What if Iran seized Bahrain to protect fellow Shiites?” asks a commentary in the daily Al-Hayat.
“Is Obama trying to help Iran seize full control of Lebanon?” asks Lebanese commentator Eyad Abu Shaqra. “Obama has shown he is prepared to betray allies to please enemies.”
In a surrealistic spectacle, speculation is rife about which sheiks will even agree to see the president of the United States. Snubbing Obama has become a luxury any can afford: After all, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas did so just last week, answering Obama’s peace musings with a categorical no.
Arabs also notice that under Obama, the United States has managed to antagonize Israel, its ally of last resort.
Sadly, Obama has nothing to offer but the spectacle of the United States as a “superpower” neutralized by its own leadership.
The question is: Why go to the other side of the world to add to the humiliation?
According to the White House, in addition to a one-on-one talk with 90-year-old Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, Obama hopes to attend a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council. But there may be no summit — since the GCC is now badly split.
The council’s members are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
One bloc — the Saudis, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates — is determined to curb Iran’s ambitions in Iraq, Syria and Bahrain while taming the Muslim Brotherhood in Sunni Arab states.
Oman and Qatar, forming a second bloc, have forged close ties with Iran in the hope of challenging Saudi Arabia’s “Big Brother” pretensions. Qatar is also bankrolling the Muslim Brotherhood. Kuwait is trying to mediate between blocs while keeping Iran sweet.
The split is partly a result of religious and territorial disputes.
In 1954, Oman and Saudi Arabia fought a war that ended with Saudis capturing chunks of the Buraimi Oasis, rich in water and oil. In the ’70s the Saudis backed a rebellion against the sultan of Oman. Religiously, a majority of Omanis are of the Ibadi sect of Islam, while Saudi Arabia is dominated by the Hanbali school.
Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Oman (so far the only Arab country to invite him) and announced a project to build a bridge over the Strait of Hormuz. The bridge would enable Iran to send troops into the Arabian Peninsula in minutes.
The UAE and Oman, meanwhile, have territorial counter-claims in the Mussandam Peninsula. Qatar has territorial grievances against the Saudis (claiming ownership of oil-rich Khor al-Udaid) and is also in dispute with Bahrain over oil and gas resources offshore of the Hawar Islands.
To complicate matters further, the seven emirates of the UAE have divergent policies, notably on Iran. Abu Dhabi urges a tough stance against Tehran, while Dubai helps Iran circumvent sanctions imposed over the nuclear issue.
The GCC came into being with the Reagan administration’s support as a bulwark against the mullahs in Iran and Russian influence over Syria and Iraq. Decades later, the strategic retreat led by Obama has undermined US power and prestige as a major player in the region.
Indeed, some of Obama’s policies are signs either of a deliberate strategy to end American leadership, or of ineptitude.
In Egypt he sided with the Muslim Brotherhood, whetting the group’s appetite for domination in the Arab world. Even when the Brotherhood was caught plotting a coup in Abu Dhabi, Obama looked the other way.
Qatar saw Obama’s support for the Brotherhood as endorsing its own policy of funding the organization and giving it exposure through the Al Jazeera TV networks. That, in turn, heightened Saudi anxiety with fears that Washington might back the Brotherhood in a power grab in the kingdom.
Next, Obama announced “red lines” on Syria but ended up giving Russia the final say in shaping US policy.
The Saudis, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait are all concerned about what they see as Obama’s “caving in” to the mullahs in Tehran. They see Obama’s frequent references to a fatwa by “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei as tacit recognition of Tehran’s claim that Khamenei is leader of the Muslim ummah.
For Washington’s GCC allies, Russia’s blitzkrieg annexation of Crimea was the last straw. “Putin seized Crimea to ‘protect’ ethnic Russians. What if Iran seized Bahrain to protect fellow Shiites?” asks a commentary in the daily Al-Hayat.
“Is Obama trying to help Iran seize full control of Lebanon?” asks Lebanese commentator Eyad Abu Shaqra. “Obama has shown he is prepared to betray allies to please enemies.”
In a surrealistic spectacle, speculation is rife about which sheiks will even agree to see the president of the United States. Snubbing Obama has become a luxury any can afford: After all, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas did so just last week, answering Obama’s peace musings with a categorical no.
Arabs also notice that under Obama, the United States has managed to antagonize Israel, its ally of last resort.
Sadly, Obama has nothing to offer but the spectacle of the United States as a “superpower” neutralized by its own leadership.
The question is: Why go to the other side of the world to add to the humiliation?
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