An open letter to President Obama

Published — Monday 2 May 2016


Dear President Barack Obama, I am pleased that you decided to visit my country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, recently. I hold no official post and am simply a Saudi attorney in private practice in Jeddah who has the greatest respect for America, as I was fortunate to be educated in your country.
Contrary to western perceptions, we here in Saudi Arabia do have freedom of speech, and that’s why I’m free to write you this letter.
In 2009 you delivered a famous speech at Cairo University where you expressed your hopes on many issues that are inspiring to all Arabs. Since then, however, many of us have seen stark contradictions in what you said and what positions your government has taken. 
Your decision to engage with Iran threatens not only our security, but America’s as well: 
l It is dangerous, bad policy to ignore 90 percent of the 1.5 billion Muslims — led by Saudi Arabia — whose interests are irreconcilable with Iran’s domestic and foreign policies. 
l We agree with you that diplomacy is better than waging wars, but this does not mean that the United States — the world’s superpower — should be transformed into a wounded lion while Iran threatens its neighbors and continues its expansive and aggressive policy to destabilize the entire Middle East. Your diplomatic efforts threaten to expand, rather than eradicate, terrorism. 
Those who support western notions of a civil society, order and social tolerance are put at high risk by a worldview, which promotes disorder and revolution and is driven by the goal of world domination. 
Mr. President, do not assume that cooperation is possible with an Iran bent on destroying its adversaries. 
You recently said in The Atlantic Monthly that regional “competition” between Saudi Arabia and Iran has fueled the conflicts in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, and you expressed the belief that the Saudis should “share” the region with their fierce regional enemy! Would you have us share the Middle East with President Assad, a murderer of women and children, who is fully supported by Iran even as you recognize that there is no place for him on the world map?
You are relying on your intelligence capabilities, but the terrorists remain many steps ahead of the United States, especially in social media outreach to our disaffected youth. For the sake of America and your true friends in the Middle East, please don’t defer any decisive action against Iran just to pass your remaining months in office with the illusion that you have contained Iran’s ambitions. 
Even if you have defused Iran’s nuclear weapons temporarily, Iran has the financial resources to threaten not only Saudi Arabia, but also Israel, Europe and ultimately the United States. All we have to do is look at Syria to see how Iranian involvement has destroyed that sad country and destabilized other countries around it.
One must ask: 
l How can you allow the continuation of monstrous crimes against humanity occurring in Syria, Iraq, Palestine and elsewhere?
l Does America really want to be seen as doing nothing to stop aggressive Iranian expansion fueled by unlimited Russian support? 
l Don’t you realize that Saudi Arabia is the safety valve of the Middle East? It has always maintained stability and security in the region. Saudi Arabia will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States, but you must lead the fight against Iran, not appease them. They are bent on dominating the Middle East, not stabilizing it; they are committed to destroying those who have different religious, cultural and political beliefs. They are the world’s greatest sponsors of terror.
Mr. President, I am an Arab Saudi citizen without any connection to the Saudi government who simply wants America to continue exercising its great influence internationally. With great power comes great responsibility. Our long-standing relationship with you is not only deep between our governments, but also among our citizens. Now, more than ever, America must remember who are its friends and who are its enemies. 

Khalid Alnowaiser is a Saudi writer and attorney.
Source:Arab News