Saudi Arabia King Salman's snub of the Camp David summit could "snowball" and lead to further weakening of U.S. foreign policy, Bill Kristol, founder and editor of The Weekly Standard, tells
Newsmax TV.
"It's pretty extraordinary," Kristol said Monday on "The Steve Malzberg Show.
"What this shows is a lack of respect, a lack of sense that they need to take President [Barack] Obama seriously. Or, frankly, [that] they don't want to hear what he has to say."
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The
New York Times reported that the king's decision not to attend is an apparent signal of his displeasure with the United States over Iran, a growing regional enemy of Saudi Arabia.
Other allied leaders are also said to be skipping the summit.
"People around the world see this, and it has a real effect on America's standing," Kristol said.
"People [say], 'Jeez, if these other countries don't think much of Obama, I guess we don't have to take his word very seriously.' Our enemies get emboldened and our friends get demoralized.
"This is where the stuff in foreign policy ... can really snowball. You start to go on a downhill slope, and people ... don't fear you, respect you, trust you. Your guarantees aren't worth much."
Kristol said that under the Obama administration, the lack of trust may accelerate.
"I'm afraid it can erode quickly, and that's what scares me the most about the next 18, 19 months, or however long we have," he said.
"President Obama is still in office, and it could be pretty bad by the time the next president takes over."
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