MESOP INSIGHT MIDDLE EAST : Obama Seeks to Narrow Rift With Saudi Arabia
U.S. president Barack Obama arrives Friday in Riyadh, where he will meet with his Saudi counterpart, King Abdullah, in an effort to smooth bilateral relations. Saudi Arabia has diverged from the United States’ strategies in the Middle East, supporting jihadists in Syria, trying to contain rival Iran, and supporting the military-backed government in Egypt. Obama seeks to reassure Saudi Arabia that the United States remains committed to its security as it pursues a nuclear deal with Iran and reduces its regional military presence in the region (NYT). The kingdom faces domestic turbulence as well. King Abdullah, in his early nineties, decreed on Thursday that seventy-nine-year-old Crown Prince Salman will succeed him. Jobs and housing are in short supply for a rapidly growing population, and economists say reforms are needed for the oil-dependent economy (WSJ).