Obama’s policy alienates ‘moderate’ Arab world

Before Anwar Sadat took over, Egypt and the majority of the “moderate” Arab world were satellites of the Soviet Union. Sadat dumped the Soviets for the West, upsetting the Egyptian military (but American dollars earned their love and respect). Egypt’s move enticed other “moderate” Arab nations to come over to the Western side.

Under President Obama, American foreign policy slowly disengaged from the Middle East and shifted emphasis to Asian interests. As the U.S. shifted, our Arab allies saw America abandon Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, ignore the red line of Syrian chemical weapons, and the Iranian nuclear deal, as signs of inconsistency and weakness.

Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, said Obama’s disjointed foreign policy is driving the Arab states back into Moscow’s embrace.

Citing Obama’s handling of the Syrian chemical weapons crisis that allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to seize the initiative, Salman said some states were seriously reviewing their relations with the U.S.

“The Russians have proved they are reliable friends,” he said, referring to Putin’s diplomatic intervention to prevent Western military action against Bashar al-Assad.

The Washington and Cambridge-educated Salman, 44, who also serves as Bahrain’s First Deputy Prime Minister, said Arab states now doubt the West’s reliability to protect their interests. “The U.S. cannot sit from afar making condescending judgments. It needs friends and partners to achieve its goals,” he said.

Bahrain has been upset with the U.S. ever since Obama abandoned Mubarak, a move that also upset Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi ambassador to England, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, gave the U.S. a rare public rebuke during the initial P5+1 nuclear discussions with Iran.

“Appeasement hasn’t worked in the past, and I don’t think it will work in the 21st century,” he was quoted as saying. “That is why the frustration really is toward the main players within the United Nations Security Council. That’s their responsibility and they will share also the blame. Whatever deal comes out, they are responsible for it.”

In mid-November, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia appeared on “Morning Joe” and criticized the Obama administration of not having a cohesive policy in the Middle East.

“We need cohesive, coherent and comprehensive policy for the Mideast,” he said. “President Obama draws the red line whereby the chemical weapons are used in Syria, and that red line is crossed, very bluntly and openly. Then he just reneges and blinks on that and gives Putin the chance to go back from not the back door but the main entrance.”

“That’s scary and dangerous,” he said.

When MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell disputed the Prince’s accounting, there was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Bin Talal delivered a verbal coup de grâce. Referring to Obama’s public call for the removal of the Syrian despot, the Prince responded:

“The flip side of that is that Bashar [al-Assad] is staying now for a long time to come. Because now, there is an unsigned contract between the United States and the regime in Syria to get the chemical weapons. And for sure, the last thing the Obama Administration would like right now is to change the regime. Because we’re not sure if these jihadists, these terrorist jihadists, take over they will not continue in that part of giving up the chemical weapons. That’s the flip side of it also. That’s where the foreign policy confusion comes up.”

A key component of a good foreign policy is consistency. Our allies need to understand our objectives and policy. Obama’s vacillating lead-from-behind policy has led the Arab states to look at the U.S. under this President as weak and unsure. If they end up in the embrace of Russia, the United States will be worse off for decades to come.

While our Arab allies may be inching away from the United States, this President has been able to accomplish something no other American leader has been able to achieve: Israel and Saudi Arabia are working together to squash the P5+1 deal with Iran — recent but unconfirmed reports have the two countries working together to create a cyber attack on the Iranian nuclear plan. By alienating the two U.S. allies, Obama may have created a détente.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com