Can Obama Tow the Line With Gulf Allies?

Differences over U.S. policy toward Tehran, Syria’s civil war and the Arab Spring uprisings loomed over meetings at Camp David that President Obama hosted, which were already clouded by the absence of most of the Gulf’s ruling monarchs, who instead sent lower-level officials from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council for the rare summit.
During the meeting President Obama pledged that the United States would consider using military force to defend them and would also help address Iran's "destabilizing activities in the region."
Obama stopped short of offering a formal defense treaty that some Gulf countries had sought and instead announced more modest measures, including helping them to integrate ballistic missile defense systems, streamlining weapons sales and increasing military training.
With the United States and five other world powers facing a June 30 deadline for a final deal with Iran on curbing its nuclear program, Obama also sought to allay Gulf Arab fears that the potential lifting of international sanctions on Tehran would embolden it in the region and increase the risk of it fueling more sectarian strife.