onday that President Obama failed to appreciate all that the kingdom has done to stabilize the Middle East, fight terrorism and support American priorities, hitting back after the president called Middle Eastern governments “free riders” on U.S. initiatives.
“You accuse us of fomenting sectarian strife in Syria, Yemen and Iraq,” Turki al-Faisal, a Saudi prince and former ambassador to the United States and Britain, wrote in an open letter published Monday in the English-language Arab News. “You add insult to injury by telling us to share our world with Iran, a country that you describe as a supporter of terrorism.”
Prince Turki’s letter was a response to comments Mr. Obama made in a much-discussed interview with The Atlantic magazine in which Mr. Obama referred to the Saudis and other allies as “free riders” who push the United States to act but contribute little themselves.
Mr. Obama has long been cooler toward the Saudis and other Arab allies than his predecessor, but his willingness to forcefully criticize them stunned many in Washington’s foreign policy establishment.
“Usually people unload with such undiplomatic language once they’re outside of government,” said Alberto Fernandez, vice president of the Middle East Media Research Institute and a former ambassador. “I don’t remember anyone inside of government, never mind the president, saying something like this.”
Prince Turki gave a lengthy list of efforts that Saudi Arabia has undertaken to protect the United States from further terrorist attack, combat extremism and stabilize the Middle East. “Could it be that you are petulant about the Kingdom’s efforts to support the Egyptian people when they rose against the Muslim Brothers’ government and you supported it?” Prince Turki asked.
Arab frustration with the Obama administration welled up during the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. The Saudis grew angry at how quickly Mr. Obama called for President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to step down and later with Mr. Obama’s refusal to launch military strikes against Syria after President Bashar al-Assad’s forces used chemical weapons in 2013. The complaints peaked last year with the international agreement to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program that Arab states saw as overly solicitous of Iran.
But decades of dependence on the United States for arms sales and security guarantees have left the Saudis with few immediate alternatives.
Mr. Obama has long viewed Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries as repressive societies obsessed with sectarian issues whose principal export, oil, warms the climate and whose strict interpretation of Islam contributes to violent extremism.
On Monday, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said that Mr. Obama valued the security relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, particularly in the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL. “At the same time,” Mr. Earnest said, “we’ve made no bones about the fact there’s more that we would like to see all of our partners in the counter-ISIL coalition do to advance our efforts, and that includes Saudi Arabia.”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/us/politics/saudis-issue-a-response-to-criticism-by-obama.html
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