It’s this one realization that runs through Joe Biden’s controversial trip to Saudi Arabia: Times have changed in the Gulf. A young generation of rulers wants to speak to the Americans on an equal footing – and isn’t afraid to say so openly and show it. Anyway, when the most powerful man in the world landed in Jeddah on Friday night, he looked pretty lonely on the tarmac. No king to receive him. Only the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the US, Reema bint Bandar al-Saud and the governor of Mecca. A few hours earlier, Reema bint Bandar had also made a clear announcement in the direction of Joe Biden.
in the US magazine political swrote her country’s first female ambassador: “The world has changed and the existential threats we all face, including food and energy security and climate change, cannot be addressed without an effective US-Saudi Arabia alliance .” And she said something else very fundamental: Long gone are the days when US-Saudi Arabia relations could be defined by the antiquated and reductionist “oil for security” paradigm.
Biden recently described Saudi Arabia’s crown prince as a “rogue”, among other things
So the tone for Biden’s journey was set: either we would speak to each other as equals, or the rules of the game would change. But the question that then arises is: Can the United States do without Saudi Arabia? After all, it was not without reason that Biden’s advisers urged him to travel to Jeddah. The kingdom recently neither responded to requests to produce more oil, nor did the Saudi crown prince take telephone calls from Washington. Biden’s situation is made more difficult because midterm elections are due in the USA in the fall and the frustration at the gas pump in the wake of the Ukraine war could cost many Democrats their mandates.
This is the main reason why the 79-year-old Biden is standing alone on the runway.
Reason for the low point in bilateral relations, which according to the golf expert Yasmine Farouk are worse than after the attacks of September 11, 2001, was Biden’s harsh tone towards Saudi Arabia during the election campaign. The crown prince is therefore a scoundrel and the kingdom is on the way to becoming a pariah state, at least since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The US citizen Khashoggi was dismembered in October 2018 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a murder squad that had traveled from Riyadh. But relations had already cooled under Biden’s predecessor, US President Barack Obama. The Saudis feel abandoned by the Americans in view of their arch-enemy Iran – and since then have increasingly sought proximity to China and Russia.
The meeting between the US President and the Saudi Crown Prince, which was hotly discussed in the run-up, will there be a handshake: yes or no? – was very cool on Friday evening: There was only a fist salute. And the talks between Biden and bin Salman, which according to observers lasted three hours instead of the planned one and a half, were also rich in discussions. Among other things, the subject of human rights was discussed. There has been something like public life in Saudi Arabia for the first time since Mohammed bin Salman, with cinemas, cafés and concerts – but that doesn’t mean that he allows freedom of expression or even political participation. Human rights activists, women’s rights activists or members of the opposition regularly end up in prison or disappear. The Americans therefore put the topic on the agenda in advance. But the Saudis didn’t want to hear about it.
Late on Friday evening, in conversation with journalists, Biden then emphasized that that he was “crystal clear” about the murder of government critic Khashoggi. However, bin Salman has denied any responsibility. US intelligence agencies are convinced that the Saudi crown prince ordered the assassination. Biden also said he had warned Mohammed bin Salman against future acts of violence: another act like the murder of Khashoggi would result in a “response” from the US.
What Biden did not say, but which Saudi commentators refer to with a certain pride: Mohammed bin Salman is said to have countered Biden’s critical inquiries. He reminded the US President of the dirty chapters in the fight against terrorism, such as the Abu Ghraib torture prison in Iraq. He also spoke to Biden on the Assassination of US journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh and asked what the United States had done to investigate this crime.
The main topic of the summit was how to deal with arch-enemy Iran in the future
But even Mohammed bin Salman doesn’t seem to want a break with the Americans. At least he campaigned for a reorientation of American foreign policy – or a return to Trump’s style – and an end to the moral lectures from Washington. It is important to know that every country has different values and must be respected, the 36-year-old crown prince said, according to the news site Al Arabyia. “If we assume that the United States will only do business with countries that share its values 100 percent, then there will be no other countries apart from NATO that will get involved.”
On Saturday afternoon, the rulers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), arrived in Jeddah. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Abdullah II, King of Jordan, also attended the summit with the US President. Biden emphasized his role as the first US president since the September 11 terrorist attacks to visit the region without US troops being involved in combat operations there.
The main topic of the summit meeting was how to deal with arch-enemy Iran and its militias in the region in the future. At the opening, Mohammed bin Salman called on Tehran to commit itself to “principles of international lawfulness” and not to interfere in the “internal affairs of other states”. As a neighboring country, Iran is invited to cooperate with the countries in the region, said bin Salman. Biden agreed and said Iran would not be allowed a nuclear weapon. Instead, they are trying “to diplomacy to restrict the Iranian nuclear program again.” Those in power in the Gulf should have liked to hear that. After all, they see Iran and the attacks by the Yemeni Houthi rebels, who are supported by Tehran, as a threat.
Biden also pledged support for the Arab partners, for example in protecting international shipping: “Let me say clearly that the United States will remain an active, committed partner in the Middle East.” Above all, Biden wants to prevent rivals Russia and China from spreading there.
Late on Saturday afternoon, Biden was released home with a small, face-saving concession: the Saudi crown prince announced that he would increase oil production capacity from the current 12 to 13 million barrels. Beyond that, however, the kingdom no longer has any extra capacity. After all. The first step in the new Saudi-American chapter seems to have been taken.