President Obama to visit Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia was the third most military spending country in the world last year, after the U.S. and China. According to the 2015 world military spending trends released early this month by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Saudi Arabia' military spending surged by 97 percent year-on-year to 87.2 billion U.S. dollars, beating Russia that is currently spending huge amounts in its intervention in the Ukrainian Civil War.

The world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia has been suffering from economic downturn for the past three years due to falling oil prices. In response, the country started to tax oil that it had been supplying at a near free price. ARAMCO, the world's largest oil company, is also pursuing an IPO. Such massive military spending even amid an economic turmoil is due to large national security concerns.

Indeed, Saudi Arabia is feeling a sense of crisis of its status as the power of Middle East based on partnership with the U.S. is being threatened. Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. has turned sour particularly after President Barack Obama took office.

Saudi Arabia's skepticism on the U.S. began when the Obama administration turned a blind eye on the collapse of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak regime at the Arab Spring in 2011. Egypt is a Sunni nation, like Saudi Arabia, but it is a major ally to the U.S.

The U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement in last year has added fuel. President Obama moved to improve relationship with Shia-dominated Iran, which is the main opponent to the U.S. In addition as crude oil production surged following the lift of sanctions on Iran, controlling oil price has become even more difficult.

Saudi Arabia's frustration exploded at a news that the U.S. Congress is promoting a legislation to lift diplomatic immunity of Saudi's royal family, government and companies to tackle the issue of their ties with September 11 terrorists in court. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, who visited Washington last month, warned that if the law is passed, Saudi Arabia will dispose of its U.S. bond holdings worth 750 billion dollars.

President Obama will be visiting Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. During his three-day visit, Obama will meet King Salman, and will have summit with heads of GCC led by Saudi Arabia and composed of Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

Many are skeptical whether the two countries' relationship will improve on President Obama's visit. Watchers say that the stakes of both countries have changed so much. At an interview with the April edition of U.S. magazine Atlantic, Obama said he was frustrated at free riders who are trying to bring the U.S. into sectorial rift, which has unrelated with U.S.' national interest.

However, some critics say the power of Saudi Arabia's royal family, which has built an absolute authority in a harsh desert environment, should not be overlooked. The U.S. must be aided by Saudi Arabia in its fight with the ISIL. Saudi's royal family also needs the U.S. as an umbrella to control domestic and external forces that threaten it. All the more, President Obama will be leaving office in eight months, and the royal family is aware of that the next president will be setting a different relationship with Saudi Arabia, according to New York Times.