President Barack Obama sets out this week on his first in a series of
international farewell tours, a sometimes wistful tradition for presidents in
legacy mode. But in a reminder of this president's uneven ties to allies,
Obama's first stop will involve more damage control than nostalgia, more
friction than fondness.
When Obama lands in Riyadh on
Wednesday for a Persian Gulf summit, he'll be met by leaders roiled by his
recent public complaints about global "free riders" and harboring
deep distrust of his dealings with Iran and his posture in Syria. Before
heading on to what will likely be valedictory visits to Great Britain and
Germany, the White House will be tasked with providing some measure of
reassurance to a set of allies that remain critical of U.S. counterterrorism
goals — even as they increasingly look to his successor.
"I think the trip is to reassure
Arab allies that the United States is there for the long run and not cutting
and running," said David Ottaway, a Middle East expert at the Wilson Center,
a Washington think tank.
Obama has appeared to be more in the
mood for frank talk than handholding.
In an interview published in the
Atlantic magazine this month, the president broadly blasted allies who don't
pull their weight and too often look to the U.S. to provide security. Even more
eyebrow-raising in Riyadh, the president argued that the Saudis and Iran
"need to find an effective way to share the neighborhood and institute
some sort of cold peace" — an insult to the Saudis who view Tehran as a bitter,
destabilizing foe.
The president's comments reflect the
firm belief that "ultimately there's not a military resolution to the
challenges in the region," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes
said.
Obama's first meeting with the Gulf
Cooperation Council last year at Camp David was focused on addressing these
worries as the U.S. tried to build support for its nuclear deal with Iran. His
recent comments ensure that reassuring them about Iran will remain a major
piece of the follow up meeting this week with the group, which includes Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Oman.
In talks leading to the summit,
officials from the United States and Persian Gulf states have discussed ways
the U.S. can back up that reassurance, including help with new
counterterrorism, military, missile defense and cybersecurity capabilities. The
U.S. recently pledged $139 million in humanitarian aid for Yemen, where the
Saudis are embroiled in a proxy war in with Iran.
The Saudis have long pushed, with no
success, for more aggressive U.S. military action to counter Iran in Syria and
Iraq, a position that sets up tense talks between Saudi King Salman and Obama
over shaky prospects for negotiations about the political future in Syria. The
U.S. and the Saudis are divided over what to do if the talks fall apart. Saudi
Arabia and several gulf states maintain President Bashar Assad must go, under
military threat, if necessary, while the U.S. backs a transition plan that
would allow Assad to remain in power for months.
The U.S.-Saudi alliance is under
pressure on other fronts. Amid persistent suspicions in the U.S. that elements
of the Saudi government were involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, the Saudis
recently lobbied against legislation that would allow Sept. 11 victims'
families to hold the government liable in U.S. court. The White House says it
opposes the bill because it could expose Americans overseas to legal risk.
"If we open up the possibility
that individuals in the United States can routinely start suing other
governments, then we are also opening up the United States to being continually
sued by individuals in other countries," Obama said in an interview with
CBS News.
Saudi Arabia is cooperating with efforts
to trim the population of prisoners being held at the U.S. detention facility
in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Pentagon announced Saturday that nine Guantanamo
detainees had been transferred to Saudi Arabia, cutting the number of detainees
there to 80.
The U.S. is coming to the summit with
some requests. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said the president will push
Gulf states to contribute economic aid to the effort to rebuild regions of Iraq
devastated by the war against the Islamic State extremists.
Obama has recently said his biggest
mistake was not focusing on reconstruction after the military invention in
Libya, leaving the country in ruins and a breeding ground for radicals. The
White House has said Obama hopes the U.S. — and more pointedly, its allies —
learn from that error.
That's a message Obama is likely to
carry on with him to Europe, where he is likely to get a warmer reception.
The president remains popular in the
UK and Germany and on his final visits, where he will lunch with Queen Elizabeth
and hobnob with business leaders at a German industrial fair, he's likely to
try to trade on that political capital.
The White House has said Obama will
make the case for why Britain should stay in the European Union, potentially
providing a boost to a struggling Prime Minister David Cameron. He and first
lady Michelle Obama will also have dinner with Prince William and his wife, the
former Kate Middleton, along with Prince Harry, according to Kensington Palace.
In Germany, the president is expected
to reinforce Chancellor Angela Merkel's policies on refugees and trade, two
areas where the chancellor has faced intense pressure.
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