Elizabeth Dickinson, Time: Why the Gulf States No Longer Trust America
Arab Gulf leaders meeting with President Barack Obama at Camp David this week are expected to seek big security guarantees from the United States. Some states want new, advanced weaponry such as the F-35 fighter jet and Gulf diplomats in Washington said they wanted a formal defense treaty with the United States.
For its part, the Obama Administration has said the Camp David summit will focus on defense cooperation on ballistic missile defense, cyber warfare, and terrorism. Washington is also expected to argue that a negotiated nuclear deal with Iran won’t allow that country to secure atomic weapons.
But as the leaders sit down at Camp David, Gulf countries’ concerns over Iran are more than just nuclear weapons.
WNU Editor: There has been differences between the U.S. and its Gulf allies before .... but trust was never an issue. This time around the impression is different .... no one is on the "same page", no one is being consulted, and more importantly there is no desire to sit down and coordinate everyone's actions. What we have is the following .... Saudi Arabia tells the U.S. that they are bombing Yemen (after the fact), the U.S. engages in talks to have a nuclear agreement with Iran and tells the Gulf States to not worry (after the fact), and when it comes to Syria/Iraq .... abundant disagreement and no unity on what to do next is crystal clear .... more so at today's Camp David summit where the top Arab leaders have decided not to show up.
