Lobbying 2014: Saudis Count on US Network to Get Obama on War Footing

Saudi Arabia is counting on its extensive contacts in US military circles and its $2 million-a-year PR operation to weather the worst crisis in relations with Washington since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

President Barack Obama’s dual decisions to forgo airstrikes on Syria and commit to nuclear negotiations with Tehran have infuriated Saudi leaders eager to curtail Iranian influence in the region. Over the past year, they’ve been arguing in both public and private that the White House must be more assertive.

“We’ve seen several red lines put forward by the president, which went along and became pinkish as time grew, and eventually ended up completely white,” former intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal said at a forum last year. “When that kind of assurance comes from the leader of a country like the United States, we expect him to stand by it.”

The Saudis can count on powerful friends in Washington to help them make their case.