The kingdom was dismayed by the partial freezing of US aid to Egypt, whose army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July — a move hailed by Saudi Arabia.
“I think actually the underlying anxiety and the sort of demand for Washington’s attention from the Gulf… comes from the fact that we are at a bit of a turning point in terms of America’s role in the region,” said Tamara Cofman Wittes, a Middle East specialist with the Brookings Institution in Washington.
She cited the ongoing US military withdrawal from Afghanistan, after Iraq.
With Obama’s announced goal of North American energy independence in the medium-term, “a lot of people in the region, I think, are naturally asking themselves what America’s energy independence means for America’s willingness to invest in the security of energy and supply from the Gulf,” said Wittes.
Obama’s visit also comes at a time of rifts within the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council over Qatar’s alleged interference in their internal affairs and its support for Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the crisis put on hold US hopes for a summit between Obama and leaders of the six-nation GCC.
But the White House denied a formal meeting was scheduled.
It was only “something that we had contemplated some weeks back and began some preliminary consultations on,” according to National Security Advisor Susan Rice.
“While we maintain very strong and cooperative relationships with each of the GCC countries, we didn’t think that from their point of view that the time was optimal for a collective meeting,” she said.
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