US President Barack Obama has taken a leap into the unknown… and he does not know what the other side of the Rubicon looks like. Beginning with the surprise decision on the negotiated destruction of Syria’s chemical arsenal, he has championed forward-looking policies toward long-time allies, especially Israel and in the Gulf, that share a common perspective, and that, in turn, have sparked united, outspoken complaint.
The strident opposition to Washington's “new look” shared by Israel and Saudi Arabia is real, and in some respects unprecedented. It would not be much of an exaggeration to suggest that each is rooting for failure of key elements of Washington's policies towards Syria and Iran.
