Saudi Arabia has “no redeeming social value” and is a “pariah”, Joe Biden had announced as he took over the presidency of the United States of America. That was at a time when oil prices were not outrageously high, and Americans were not coming after Biden’s throat for soaring inflation.
One could argue that Joe Biden’s morality-loaded denigration of Saudi Arabia came from a position of privilege. At the time, he failed to gauge the importance of Saudi Arabia for the United States’ energy security and economic health. Some might argue that the USA is largely energy independent and does not need Riyadh to fill oil barrels for it.
That is a claim which, under the presidency of Joe Biden, can be heavily contested, given how his administration has tabooed domestic fracking and oil drilling.
Even if the United States’ domestic oil production is taken into account, the veto on global oil prices lies with the Saudi-led OPEC cartel. Oil prices around the world depend on how much oil OPEC pumps out on a daily basis.
Right now, sanctions on Russia have depleted global oil supply, which is why there is a shortage of sorts prevalent in the markets that Saudi Arabia is refusing to compensate for by raising OPEC’s daily quota.
So, gasoline prices in America have been soaring, and USA’s consumer inflation for June has come out at 9.1%. The Biden administration is desperate, especially with a Democratic rout being predicted in the upcoming mid-term congressional polls.
Joe Biden’s recent overtures to Saudi Arabia, in part, are aimed at mitigating the imminent congressional collapse his party faces this November.
Joe Biden in Saudi Arabia – Theatre of the Absurd
Joe Biden arrived in Saudi Arabia after a two-day stay in Israel. Needless to say, the White House has gone overboard with its efforts to minimize the damage caused by Biden’s Saudi visit among core Democrat voters back home.
Joe Biden ostensibly visited Saudi Arabia to interact with “regional leaders” from the Gulf, and not actually meet the crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman.
The optics were hardly deceiving. There is a consensus now that Biden is trying to repair a relationship that he wrecked in the first place. From calling Saudi Arabia a ‘pariah’ to once again referring to it as a “strategic partner”, Joe Biden’s Middle Eastern policy has come full circle.
Make no mistake, Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah has one mandate alone – to convince MBS to increase OPEC’s oil output so that global prices can be reduced.
Meeting leaders of the Gulf in Jeddah and discussing regional cooperation is all an eyewash. The focus now is on fixing ties between Washington and Riyadh.
And then, oil is not the only issue that has sent alarm bells ringing in the White House and the US State Department. The Iran nuclear deal is all but dead.
Talks to revive it have ended in a deadlock, and the Shi’ite nation is closer than ever towards developing a nuclear bomb. The Arab world, especially Saudi Arabia, is inclining more and more towards the likes of China and Russia. Space for the United States has been shrinking in the Middle East, much like its influence over Gulf states.
The current landscape demanded for Washington to take steps to salvage its perception and presence in the Middle East. Without Saudi Arabia on its side, though, the United States would have found it nearly impossible to make any resuscitative progress in the region.
China and Saudi Arabia are in talks to de-link their oil trade from the US dollar. That would mean China would purchase oil from Riyadh using its own currency – the Yuan. The US dollar’s value as the world’s reserve currency, and the status of the petrodollar regime would be greatly diminished as a result.
The Cold Shouldering Game
Soon after becoming President, Joe Biden decided to go hard against Saudi Arabia. He halted new arms sales to the Islamic kingdom, while also putting a stop to US aid for Riyadh in its campaign against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Thereafter, the Biden administration made public an intelligence assessment directly implicating the Saudi crown prince in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. That was not all. Biden, as a matter of ‘principle’, refused to speak to MBS – keeping his rare exchanges limited to the King of Saudi Arabia. This, despite MBS being recognized as the de facto ruler of the Gulf nation.
Biden’s bravado against MBS did not last very long. As Russia invaded Ukraine and oil prices shot over the roof, the Biden administration tried re-establishing contact with the Saudi crown prince.
However, it was now MBS’ turn to give Biden the cold shoulder. The crown prince refused to get on the phone with Biden. All of Washington’s pleas to get OPEC to increase oil output were ignored, even as Saudi Arabia refused to condemn Russia for its war in Ukraine. On March 1, Riyadh released a statement calling for a political resolution to hostilities that did not label Russia as the aggressor in Ukraine. Saudi Arabia also backed South Africa’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) motion on March 24, which did not condemn Russia.
Biden’s Desperate Course Correction
For Joe Biden, the political and geostrategic returns of returning to the good books of Saudi far outweigh the embarrassment he and his administration face for walking back on their idealistic foreign policy vis-à-vis Riyadh.
If engaging with Saudi Arabia and treating it as a “strategic partner” is what will cool oil prices and serve the USA’s larger ambitions of ensuring its influence in the Middle East is not completely washed away, that is exactly what Biden will do – notwithstanding the condemnation he faces back home for betraying his campaign promises of holding the Gulf nation accountable.
The White House first tried to convince the world that there would be no one-on-one meeting between Biden and MBS during the former’s visit to Saudi Arabia. However, the United States does not have a tough hand to play against Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, therefore, Biden was indeed scheduled to hold a meeting with the Saudi crown prince, without the presence of the King no less. On Thursday, Biden even stopped short of committing to raise the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi with leaders in Saudi Arabia.
Also Read: Saudi Crown Prince Says ‘Do Not Care’ if Biden Misunderstands Him
In fact, Biden is now down to showering praises on Saudi Arabia. On Friday, Riyadh opened its airspace to “all air carriers” from Israel, marking an end of its ban on Israeli flights from flying over and into its territory. The move is being seen as a precursor to normalization of ties between the world’s most important Islamic nation, and the world’s only Jewish one.
In a statement, Biden said, “This decision paves the way for a more integrated, stable, and secure Middle East region, which is vital for the security and prosperity of the United States and the American people, and for the security and prosperity of Israel.”
By visiting Saudi Arabia, Joe Biden has conceded to the fact that he prematurely acted against Riyadh, and took measures that went a long way in souring bilateral ties between the two countries.
The entire fiasco has established another fact – the United States of America no longer enjoys the kind of influence it once did over countries around the world. Its own allies and partners are now beginning to stand up to it. A large exercise in soul-searching is what is required on the part of Washington now.
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