Pres. Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia
Ever wonder why there is a successive decrease in oil prices? No, the crisis in Ukraine is far from over. But recent world events and favorable market forces tended to stabilize oil supply.
A throwback. Days following the election of Joe Biden as President of the United States, there were speculations about future Saudi Arabia-US relations. The oil-rich Kingdom is no doubt a giant in the Middle East political landscape, an influencer on events and decisions. It cannot be ignored globally. Recall that then candidate Biden in public speeches talked tough about human rights violations in the Kingdom, alluding principally to the hitherto unsolved murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. He pointedly accused the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman (MbS), of having a hand or at least having approved the killing of the Saudi journo who turned critic of the Kingdom and lived in exile in Virginia. In fact, he called the Kingdom a pariah state. He raised concern likewise about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen as a result of the proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran and because of which, Washington banned the sale of offensive weapons to the Kingdom.
Well, that was then. Candidates are chameleon-like who change color after they are elected to office. They hardly walk the talk. Their decisions and pronouncements deviate from personal to their nation’s interest. They are dictated by the zeitgeist influenced considerably by what is best for their country. The confluence of many factors within and without their government is a major influencer on the shaping of policy direction. Washington policy makers decided that it is
“In the muchawaited meeting between President Biden and MbS, they were able to thresh out some irritants in their country’s relationship.
to their best interest to continue engagement with the Kingdom and adopt a rapprochement policy. Else, the vacuum in the Middle East political dynamics will be filled by other world powers, like Russia and China, that will tilt the balance of power.
Moreover, Washington badly needs allies as it confronts the current global security, oil and food crisis sparked by Russia’s adventurism. It needs the oil resources and influence of Saudi Arabia in the region to stabilize world supply and the price of oil and food. The one-day Jeddah Summit on Security and Development last 16 July provided the opportune time to crystallize Washington’s policies. It earned credit for its engagement once again with the political powers in the Middle East. It sends the message that the US is back and will still be a power in the search for peace in the region and the settlement of the resilient Israel-Palestinian issue.
The communique adopted by the leaders after the Summit was full of motherhood statements about supporting initiatives to promote peace and stability in the different problematic countries in the region. One thing stood out though — the leaders renewed their call for Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and with the region’s countries to keep the region free of weapons of mass destruction and preserve regional stability and security.
In the much-awaited meeting between President Biden and MbS, they were able to thresh out some irritants in their country’s relationship. According to media reports, President Biden was straightforward when they talked about the Khashoggi murder, with the MbS denying any involvement.
Was the visit successful? By any measure, it was. For one, it sends the signal that the United States is backed in the Middle East political dynamics. The icy relationship between the countries has thawed and the world is now reaping the fruit of the meeting.
Why are we concerned about these developments? The millions of Filipino Muslims look upon the Kingdom as the de facto capital of Islam and are unavoidably affected by these events.
The millions of our contract workers remitting regularly dollars at home helped boost our pandemic -downturned economy. Importantly, we are seeing the effect of the meeting where the Kingdom agreed to increase oil production to ease the market and reduce prices, bringing relief to third world economies like the Philippines.
“Washington badly needs allies as it confronts the current global security, oil and food crisis sparked by Russia’s adventurism.