Putting human rights at the center of the presidency, fighting the world’s autocrats and outlawing Saudi Arabia: these were US President Biden’s declared goals. Now he is meeting the Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman. The cause is the war in Ukraine.
The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had decided: The journalist Jamal Khashoggi must disappear. He did so in October 2018. The head of a critical Saudi daily newspaper and columnist for the Washington Post entered his country’s consulate general in Istanbul, Turkey, but never came out. The Saudi government eventually admitted to killing him, but denied bin Salman was involved. US intelligence believes the de facto head of state gave the order for the assassination of the critic, who was then killed and dismembered. Khashoggi’s body has not been found to date.
Now US President Joe Biden is flying to the Middle East for the first time during his term of office, has first visited Israel – and is now meeting with Mohammed bin Salman. In the election campaign for the White House, the Democrat had described the country as a pariah state. “You will pay the price and I will make you an outcast,” Biden said. As recently as last month, the White House said Biden’s view hadn’t changed. His predecessor Donald Trump, on the other hand, maintained a close relationship with the crown prince.
Skyrocketing energy prices, Iran’s nuclear program and perennial concerns that a pragmatic China is gaining global influence have caused a shift in course in the Middle East. The US President even explained this in an article in the Washington Post before his trip. The bottom line is that solutions to the current crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine are simply more important than murder. The region is elementary for global trade and global supply chains.
Before his election, Biden had announced that he would make human rights the focus of his presidency. The Saudis are accused of using an iron fist against critics; using mass arrests, executions and other violence to brutally stifle resistance in the country. But simply ignoring the crown prince or even actively isolating it is no longer in the interests of the United States. However, human rights should only play a minor role, if at all, for Biden in conversations with the crown prince.
A high-ranking government official succinctly brushed aside that the meeting with bin Salman contradicted Biden’s earlier announcements. “If (he) decides that meeting with a leader is in his interest and it might yield results, he will.” For the sake of peace and stability in the region, it is necessary to deal with Saudi Arabia, the representative said. Finally, the Crown Prince agreed not to continue the war in Yemen for the time being and to extend the ceasefire there. When he took office, Biden promised to end the war in Yemen.
Security issues and regional conflicts will probably be discussed first, but also the oil that comes from there. Because of the war in Ukraine, Russia has ceased to be a supplier to the United States and other countries. OPEC countries, led by Saudi Arabia, agreed last month to increase production. Biden is likely to talk to the crown prince about pumping even more oil onto the world market. Not necessarily from Saudi Arabia itself, but as the leading nation of the OPEC countries. At the very least, he might want an assurance that countries in the region will side with the US and its allies in Europe when push comes to shove.
Saudi Arabian civil rights activist Hala al-Dosari, who now lives in the United States, criticized Biden’s trip. The President’s meeting with the Crown Prince was “treason”. The US government is putting short-term interests in oil supplies and support for Israel ahead of the long-term goal of democratic change in Arab countries.
At the time of Biden’s visit, the Gulf Cooperation Council – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – are meeting in Saudi Arabia, as well as representatives from Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. So far, the Gulf States have tried to remain neutral towards Moscow. Biden wants the Gulf states to publicly condemn Russia’s war of aggression, diplomats told Reuters.
Talks about security include the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and food supplies. Not without reason, the prices for staple foods such as bread in the region have already shot up. The think tank “Middle East Policy” considers it likely that “social unrest will flare up on a large scale” in the coming months, particularly in the countries in the region that are dependent on energy imports, and that the situation in the war-torn countries of Syria and Yemen will deteriorate dramatically.
Although Saudi Arabia is not committed to human rights, the desert state has signaled support for the Abraham Accords, which aim to guarantee peace between Israel and the Arab states. According to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, Biden’s visit is intended to “strengthen the historic ties and outstanding strategic partnership” between the two countries. A Biden spokeswoman said it was important to “adjust” relationships, not destroy them. It is also about containing Iran and protecting about 70,000 US citizens living in Saudi Arabia.
Democracies versus autocracies, this global rivalry of political systems is the mainstay of Biden’s presidency, as he repeatedly emphasizes. Accordingly, he repeatedly justifies foreign policy decisions. For example, the US president rallied allies to support Ukraine against Russia’s attack and blocked the participation of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua at the Organization of American States’ America Summit in Los Angeles. The declared main competitor in this global competition is China.
But now Biden is in a quandary. Energy prices are rising, driving inflation, which in turn infuriates the populace. It is precisely this loss of purchasing power that the US President is attempting to cushion, even if only through symbolic images of oil-rich countries. Otherwise, the Democrats could see their red Republican miracle in November’s congressional elections. “Biden has problems with gas prices,” said his senior party colleague Dick Durbin. However, the senator said he had “mixed feelings” about the president’s visit to Saudi Arabia because of the human rights issues.
The new priorities don’t just change the White House’s stance on Riyadh. A short time after Russia’s invasion, there were already talks in Caracas with the government around Head of State Nicolás Maduro. Despite all the sanctions for human rights violations and mafia structures.
Experts doubt that increased production alone would depress prices. “A large part of the price high is due to geopolitics and financial speculation,” said Ben Cahill of the Center for Strategic and International Studies at “Politico”. If you look at actual crude oil demand and trading, there is no major disruption anywhere.
