It had the feel of a victory lap, albeit short and quick. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz visited Cairo on June 20 to congratulate Egypt's new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on his inauguration. For the ailing monarch it was a symbol of the kingdom's success in turning back what he labeled the "strange chaos" of the Arab Spring.

The king never left his specially built royal airplane at the airport, and received Sisi inside its palatial interior. The stop was only a couple of hours between Morocco, where the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was recuperating from medical treatment and Saudi Arabia. Still, Abdullah is the first foreign head of state to visit Sisi since his inauguration. Abdullah was the only head of state Sisi mentioned in his inaugural address.

The king's official party included Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who resigned as the kingdom's intelligence czar earlier this year. The prince's inclusion in the Cairo visit shows he remains a player in Saudi decision-making.

Abdullah was the first foreign leader to congratulate Sisi after his coup last July, only minutes after he seized power. Sisi was Egypt's defense attache in Riyadh before becoming director of military intelligence.