Saudis snub Obama on Riyadh arrival amid growing tension

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• published: 20 Apr 2016
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President Barack Obama received a chilly reception from Saudi Arabia's leaders as he landed in Riyadh Wednesday, a clear sign of the cooling relations between once-close allies amid regional upheaval and dropping oil prices. When Obama touched down in Riyadh shortly after 1 p.m. local time, there were no kisses with the kingdom's ruler as President George W. Bush once exchanged. The Saudi government dispatched the governor of Riyadh rather than a senior-level royal to shake Obama's hand, a departure from the scene at the airport earlier in the day when King Salman was shown on state television greeting the leaders of other Gulf nations on the tarmac. Social media users quickly termed the reception, which was not carried live on state TV, a snub and a sign that a relationship long lubricated by barrels of oil is now facing deep questions on both sides. For all the frostiness seemingly on diplay, though, analysts and former officials say the two countries aren't at the end of a love affair so much as in an unhappy marriage in which both sides, for better or worse, are stuck with each other. "Despite all these differences, Saudi Arabia and America are not getting divorced," said Bruce Riedel, director of the Intelligence Project at the Brookings Institution and a former CIA official. "We need each other." It's tough going, though. 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 are topping 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. A U.S. official said Salman's absence upon arrival was not taken as a snub and noted that Obama rarely greets foreign leaders when they land in the U.S. for meetings. Shortly after his arrival, Obama headed immediately to the Erga Palace in the capital for discussions with Salman, the 80-year-old monarch he hopes he can convince to take a stepped-up role battling ISIS. The leaders exchanged pleasantries during a brief photo opportunity at the start of the meeting, which lasted roughly two hours. Through a translator, Salman told Obama that he was "very pleased" to host him in the kingdom, while the American leader told the monarch that he was grateful for his hospitality. Neither made statements afterward.