President Barack Obama lands in Saudi Arabiaon Wednesday as the U.S. alliance with the Mideast powerhouse, long lubricated by barrels of oil, is being questioned on both sides like never before.
The kisses that then-President George W. Bush exchanged with the kingdom's ruler a decade ago are a thing of the past. The Saudis have little confidence in Obama's commitment to their security and fear he's shifting U.S. attentions to its rival, Iran; Obama has described the Saudis as "so-called allies" and has complained their policies fuel anti-U.S. terror and regional chaos.
In the U.S. Congress, a growing drumbeat of criticism about Saudi Arabia is finding expression in efforts to restrict arms sales to Riyadh, expose alleged Saudi involvement in the September 11 terror attacks and allow it to be sued for that day's destruction and death.
The clamor coincides with increasing domestic energy resources that lessen the U.S. need for foreign oil. Moreover, the allies are divided by a slew of issues including the approach to the wars in Syria and Yemen, the Iranian nuclear deal and the influence Tehran wields in Iraq.
These regional issues will top Obama's agenda during his visit this week as he looks for backing for the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. And they are dynamics that are set to persist and color the U.S.-Saudi relationship for the next occupant of the Oval Office as well.
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