APPOINTMENT OF  ROBERT MALLEY TO SENIOR POSITION AT NSC FULFILLS PRES. OBAMA'S  PRE-ELECTION CHICAGO PLEDGES TO RASHID KHALIDI AND ALI ABUNIMAH

2-19-14

At a time when Saudi Arabia and other US allies in the region should be  worried that the U.S. has turned its back on them as part of President Obama’s misguided pursuit of détente with Iran, the president has called back to service Robert Malley, one of the foremost enemies of Saudi Arabia, the current regime in Egypt, the current regime in Jordan, and Israel.

 Malley's  joining the NSC removes any remaining doubt about where Obama's foreign policy is heading.

His prior actions, giving an explicit  back-channel green light to terrorists should have been enough to keep him out of any administration , But,by putting him in charge of relations with the Gulf states, President Obama is also demonstrating that he is determined to continue a policy of downgrading relations with traditional allies in favor of better relations with Iran and other radicals.

The Saudis have many reason to worry. including the administration’s failure to act in Syria, where Iran’s ally Bashar Assad appears to be winning his war to hold on to power. The Saudis are right to dismiss the president’s attempts to reassure them on Iran. 

 Israel has cause for concern about the US's headlong rush to embrace Iran. 

The appointment of Robert Malley is a clear sign sign of just how far President  Obama has strayed from his campaign pledges on the Middle East. The U.S. thrust  toward appeasement of radical Islamists is no longer a matter of speculation but a fact. Any constraints on administration policies based on concern about alienating America’s allies are now a thing of the past.

Now that he has appointed a longtime advocate of embracing America’s foes, it’s not likely that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and many other US allies in the middle East will feel any better about U.S. policy.