Blog #9 - Obama Tries to Reconcile With Saudi Arabia

At a meeting in Riyadh with King Salman of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, President Obama tried to smooth over some rough patches that have risen over the past few years with the two countries. It isn't a secret that there has been some tension recently due to terrorist attacks, war, and many other dilemmas concerning both countries' well beings. White House officials tried to subdue the public and stress that progress was made between the two leaders, but former Saudi Intelligence Chief Prince Turki Al-Faisal said there needs to be a "re-calibration of our relationship with America." He also spoke about Saudi Arabia's reliance on America stating, "how far we can go with our dependence on America, how much can we rely on steadfastness from American leadership, what is it that makes for our joint benefits to come together, these are all things that need to be re-calibrated." America and Saudi Arabia have been allies for a long time (since 1933 to be exact), and it seems that their relationship isn't ending any time soon. Some compare the two countries to an unhappy marriage; they may not like each other at the moment, but ultimately it is beneficial for them to stay together. Conflicts are to be expected when you pair an ultraconservative monarchy like Saudi Arabia with a trail-blazing fireball like America. Divorce is not in sight for these lovers quite yet.

In my opinion, dealing with superpowers like Saudi Arabia is a slippery slope. Considering some American's hostility towards the middle eastern country, I'm surprised we're still allies at all. To me, our relationship resembles that of an excited dog (America) that keeps leaving messes everywhere and a patient mother (Saudi Arabia) that has a high tolerance for mistakes. With the recent turmoil in countries surrounding Saudi Arabia, agitations have just been exacerbated. Hopefully, all the fuss will die down and both countries can be at peace with one another.

This relates to class because we are learning about the roles of the President. In this case, President Obama is exercising his powers as the Chief Diplomat. Some of the powers that encompass being Chief Diplomat are appointing ambassadors, conducting international negotiations, establishing foreign policy, serving as a national spokesperson, and traveling abroad.