Will Obama bring the Middle East into Russian orbit, including Israel?

Washington is torn between the support for the Muslim Brotherhood (as supported by Qatar) and for the Egyptian military (read Saudi Arabia). Since this thread runs through Syria as well the Russians are trying to pull on it.  If they pull hard enough the whole fabric may unravel. Foreign Policy’s Zachary Keck writes:

On Thursday afternoon President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would be cancelling a joint military exercise with the Egyptian Army over its violent crackdown on supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. 

Shortly afterwards, Egypt Independent reported that Putin had called an extraordinary session in the Kremlin to put “all Russian military facilities ‘at the Egyptian military’s disposal.’” The report, which cited several sources without providing any further details about them, also said that “Putin will discuss Russian arrangements for joint-military exercises with the Egyptian army.”

What could be a more blatant attempt than that? If true then Putin’s openly trying to grab Egypt. Breitbart reports Egypt is sending a diplomatic mission to Russia. “Sadat threw Russia out of Egypt,” the source told Breitbart News. “Peace came from that. If Russia reenters Egypt, they reenter the world.” 

If the Russians supplant America in Cairo as the strongest foreign influence there, Riyadh may follow suit. Who will Obama bow to then?  Read Belmont Club » The Narrative Implodes

And that would mean one very obvious thing to Iran: they can become Nuke R Us with no hindrance from the United States. Obama has already proven that that American "red lines" mean nothing.

Putin is motivated here by two main impulsions:

1. Cold War relic rivalry with the United States. You can take Putin out of the KGB but you can never quite take the KGB out of Putin.
2. Strong opposition to al Qaedaism by whatever name. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is practically the original strict-constructionist Muslim movement. Although not rooted historically as deeply as Saudi Arabia's Wahhabism, the Brotherhood is far more energetic (not least because it has never held the sway that Saudi Wahhabists have). 

There are a number of Islamic movements active in Russia and the former Soviet republics. Hundreds of killed are chalked against Islamic terrorism. The Beslan School Massacre of 2004 that resulted in hundreds of murdered people, including 186 school kids, is well remembered in Russia even though Beslan was not technically part of Russia. 

And so Russia is willing to prop up Assad's Syrian government as the lesser of two evils there, since the Syrian rebels are dominated by al Qaeda elements from other lands. The Brotherhood and al Qaeda are birds of a feather as far as Russia is concerned, and the fact that Obama is distancing the United States from Egypt's army creates an opportunity that no one as crafty as Putin can possibly pass up. 

As Richard Fernandez hints, as goes Cairo into the Russian orbit, so may go Riyadh. If the Russian horse becomes stronger than the USA's, the wagon trail presently behind us will almost certainly detach for Moscow's pull. Once Riyadh goes (if it does), the United States' influence in the whole Middle East will drop like an anvil from a hot air balloon. 

It is not impossible to imagine even Israel gravitating toward Moscow, although it will never do so overtly. The Islamic threat to Israel gives Moscow and Jerusalem a natural affinity of interests. With Riyadh and Moscow being buddies, the Israeli government may even think that triangulating between the two capitals would make strategic sense. 

All this potentially possible because there is no leadership, direction or vision in the US government any more, and certainly no one at the top who thinks strategically.

Update: I left a link here in a comment at Richard's post, where he commented in response,

Then they can really give Obama the big prize. He will have managed to hand Russia all the marbles. Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia -- and as you say, perhaps even Israel. 

If that happens I will personally stand and clap. Not out of approval for the policy, which is suicidal, but out of sheer unadulerated awe, in complete admiration of how anyone could achieve so overwhelming a defeat, so comprehensive a setback, while starting the game with all the aces. It will be a record for the ages.

And after that I'll go out and get drunk.