We are not alone

In its most recent edition, British magazine The Economist ran a cartoon depicting the reaction received by U.S. President Barack Obama upon presenting his nuclear deal with Iran.

First the American president is shown presenting the deal to a screaming Israel. Then he shows it to the Saudis. They react by screaming as well; followed by precisely the same response from the Persian Gulf states. "No need to scream," the president says as he shows the deal to Congress, represented by both Democrats and Republicans (a donkey and an elephant). However, they also scream.

In the final frame Obama is left alone in the room. And what does he do? He grabs his head and lets out a shout -- a type of homage to Edvard Munch's 1893 masterpiece painting "The Scream." The cartoon, incidentally, illustrates the extent to which Israel is not alone in its concern over a bad nuclear deal with Iran.

The American president has decided to launch a public relations campaign to promote his deal, even though his conduct until now has pointed to a lack of respect for America's friends and an affinity for its enemies. Obama has apparently understood that this comes with a price. For example, the Egyptians under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi are courting after the Russians and are purchasing French fighter jets.

Now it is the Saudis' turn to humiliate Obama. King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud chose to skip the proposed summit at Camp David with Gulf leaders. Following in Salman's footsteps were the leaders of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, who "didn't feel well" and decided to send lower-level emissaries instead. Only the Qatari emir and leader of Kuwait decided not to cancel. Such is the fate of the man who chose to bet on Iran.

Salman chose to dispatch the crown prince and his defense minister in his stead, citing his need to tend to the implementation of the cease-fire agreement in Yemen. It's not a bad excuse for a new king who does not have the luxury of not feeling well.

Despite efforts by Riyadh to project an atmosphere of business as usual, the Gulf region's political pundits showered their leaders with praise for defending their dignity and not rushing to a summit organized by an American president seeking to satisfy American interests in Iran.

What awaits us then? The Gulf states will demand enhancements to their security and game-changing weapons. In Jerusalem the concern will only grow and eventually no one will be happy, aside from Tehran.

Before it even begins, the Camp David summit is destined for failure. The Saudi king has already expressed his lack of faith in the faith-building summit.

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