By John Ubaldi
Contributor, In Homeland Security
In a massive rebuke to President Obama’s Middle East summit of Persian Gulf nations schedule this week, leaders of four of the six nations invited to attend have decided to skip the event.
The summit was to have the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council nations of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, to discuss regional security issues and other important topics.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced that King Salman would not be attending the summit, which would have included a meeting with President Obama in the White House.
On Friday, White House spokesman Eric Schultz, said that King Salman would be coming to “resume consultations on a wide range of regional and bilateral issues.”
The New York Times reported on Sunday that the state-run Saudi Press Agency said the king would instead send Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the Saudi interior minister, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the defense minister. The agency also said the summit meeting would overlap with a five-day cease-fire in Yemen that is scheduled to start on Tuesday, to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The leaders of these nation’s wanted a more robust security commitment by the United States, this coming at a time when the Middle East is engulfed in turmoil from Islamic extremists, the continued civil war in Syria, the volatility in Iraq, chaos in Yemen, and finally as they see it, the real threat in the region emanating from Iran.
The main source of contention is Washington’s instance in continuing nuclear negotiations with Iran, which will leave Tehran with its nuclear infrastructure intact, and the ability to produce a nuclear device at its choosing; this without the U.S. addressing Tehran spreading its influence in the region.
Council on Foreign Relations Ray Takyeh commented in an expert brief, “The Arab regimes see a series of conflicts that the United States must resolve and a series of failing states that it must rehabilitate. Washington’s gaze is more narrow and its ambitions more circumspect. The United States remains committed to its war on terrorism in the region with its reliance on drones. It is seeking to degrade the self-declared Islamic State and prevent it from taking over strategic cities in Iraq. Beyond that, there is no real U.S. Middle East policy to speak of.”
This is what has hampered U.S. efforts in the region since 2009…that Washington continues not to have a coherent political strategy for the region, especially given the rise of the Islamic State, an Iraq in chaos, the challenges in Syria, and an expansionist Iran in the region.
“I think we are looking for some form of security guarantee, given the behavior of Iran in the region, given the rise of the extremist threat,” said Yousef al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to the United States.
Beyond renewed security cooperation, the Gulf nations are seeking more joint military exercises, a coordinated missile defense system, and better cooperation on cyber security, which would also include maritime and border security issues.
The Associated Press reported that a high-level Saudi official in Riyadh stated his country wants a defense system and military cooperation, similar to what the U.S. affords Israel. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to disclose details of the Saudis’ wish list at the summit, said they also want access to high-tech military equipment, missiles, planes and satellites, as well as more technology and training cooperation with the U.S.
Beyond the nuclear deal, the Gulf nations are fearful that any agreement will only embolden Tehran even further, especially since the ending of sanctions will give Iran billions of dollars that will be used to support its proxy forces around the Middle East region.
At this point the summit is going to accomplish very little, as Jon Alterman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington wonders if there is anything the United States can do that would reassure the Gulf states, when it comes to Iranian expansionism.
“It seems to me that where they most want reassurance is where the U.S. is both least able and most unwilling to provide it,” he said. “My guess is that the summit is going to leave everybody feeling a little bit unsatisfied.”
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