Biden's Approval Rating Hits Bottom, Plans Saudi Visit Next Month... Will Middle East Policy Change Significantly? (Comprehensive)

Visiting the Middle East from 13th to 16th next month... Meeting with Bin Salman
Controversy spreads within the Democratic Party... "Regret over compromise with authoritarian regime"
Possibility of major revision in Middle East exit strategy... "Need to check China and Russia"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he will visit Saudi Arabia next month and will meet directly with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, with whom there have been conflicts over human rights issues. This move is interpreted as an effort to induce increased oil production from Middle Eastern oil-producing countries to curb the recent surge in oil prices, which has been identified as a major cause of inflation. This visit is also expected to bring changes to the Biden administration's overall Middle East strategy.

On the 14th (local time), White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated at a briefing, "President Biden is scheduled to visit Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia and Israel from the 13th to the 16th of next month," adding, "President Biden will attend the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)+3 summit and hold talks with more than 12 leaders to promote U.S. security, economic, and diplomatic interests."

The GCC+3 summit is a regular economic and security meeting attended by GCC member states?Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain?and Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan, bringing together major oil-producing countries in the Middle East.

President Biden is expected to strongly request oil-producing countries to increase oil production at this summit. Due to inflation caused by the sharp rise in oil prices, Biden's approval ratings have plummeted, putting the Democratic Party in a precarious position not only for the upcoming midterm elections in November but also for the next presidential election.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The highlight of this Middle East visit is the meeting with Crown Prince bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. Bin Salman was previously identified as the mastermind behind the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post (WP) columnist and Saudi dissident journalist, in 2018. Since that incident, relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have significantly deteriorated.

Biden's direct meeting with bin Salman has sparked controversy even within the U.S. Democratic Party. Critics point out that the Biden administration, which has emphasized human rights as a principle in its election pledges and foreign policy, is facing a dilemma by violating its own stance. Earlier on the 10th, 13 human rights organizations in the U.S. issued a joint statement opposing Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the party, said in an interview with CNN, "I understand that President Biden must meet with bin Salman because something must be done to increase oil supply," but added, "However, it is regrettable to compromise with an authoritarian regime that does not share our values."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

However, some analysts argue that this visit is not merely a trade-off between oil and human rights issues but signals a major shift in U.S. Middle East policy. Given the high likelihood that Middle Eastern countries will demand military intervention and security guarantees in exchange for increased oil production during this visit, the Biden administration's Middle East exit strategy may undergo significant revisions.

Previously, since the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in August last year, the Biden administration has focused more on the Indo-Pacific region than the Middle East. Despite attacks on Saudi Arabia's major oil facilities by the Yemen Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, the U.S. did not provide military support.

Pro-American Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia have shown signs of aligning closely with China and Russia to alleviate security concerns arising from the security vacuum following the U.S. exit strategy. This also explains why Middle Eastern oil-producing countries have maintained relations with Russia despite Western sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, explained in an article published in Politico, "Considering the U.S.'s core strategic interests, the U.S. has no choice but to actively re-engage militarily in the Middle East to counter China and Russia."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.