Obama’s critical visit to Riyadh

This will probably be the US president’s final trip to the region and it comes at a pivotal time

US president Barack Obama waves as he walks toward Marine One upon his departure from the White House in Washington, April 19, 2016. Carlos Barria / Reuters

Relations between the GCC and the United States have been strained in recent months. In the aftermath of Washington’s nuclear deal with Iran, many countries have questioned America’s commitment to the continued security of its allies in the region and its willingness to confront challenges on the ground. Iran has been emboldened by the lifting of international sanctions and Tehran’s interfering hand is visible in flashpoints from Yemen to Syria.

This is the backdrop for US president Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia. In what will probably be Mr Obama’s final visit while in office, leaders from across the GCC are eager to welcome an American president who is clear about the challenges here and ready to engage with them. And there is no shortage of challenges.

The war in Yemen is continuing, with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels refusing to participate wholeheartedly in constructive peace talks. Syria is mired in a civil war that shows no sign of resolution. ISIL is exploiting the chaos and expanding its operations into Europe, North Africa and other parts of the Middle East. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is in a state of disarray, with only the faintest prospect of constructive American diplomatic effort to get it back on track. Mr Obama has secured a legacy for his administration with the Iranian deal. He has also spoken about pivoting American interests away from its traditional spheres of influence towards Asia. It is this legacy that Mr Obama should explain while in Saudi Arabia in an effort to bolster our alliance.

On this visit, we hope to see some of the passion the president demonstrated in his Cairo speech in 2009 when he appeared to have genuine concern for the people and issues unique to this part of the world. We do understand, however, that Mr Obama’s time in office is limited. Both of the presumptive candidates for his office, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, will offer different perspectives on Middle Eastern problems and strategies to solve them. We hope that they remain cognisant of our perspective on regional issues and our legitimate fears concerning America’s disengagement from the Middle East.