Biden’s Middle East Policy And The Death Of The Liberal International Order – OpEd

The intensifying turmoil in the Middle East primarily reflects the shortcomings of U.S. diplomacy in this pivotal area. The administrations of Presidents Trump and Biden, by attempting to address issues through elimination rather than resolution, effectively sidelined the two-state solution and the Palestinian question. 

The Abraham Accords of September 2020 were envisioned by U.S. policymakers as a means to foster security and stability via an alliance between Israel and key Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. This strategic framework aimed not only to contain Iran’s regional influence but also to realign U.S. focus towards its principal geopolitical rival, China. Consequently, this pivot to Asia was intended to lower the Middle East’s strategic importance to the United States.

The unraveling of this policy became evident with the developments on October 7. These events underscored the impossibility of disregarding the Palestinian issue or diminishing the Middle East’s significance in U.S. foreign policy. The resurgence of the Palestinian cause as a central international security concern not only signifies a misstep in the US’s strategy for the region but also highlights the shortcomings of a liberal interpretation of global governance. The liberal ideal of a U.S.-centric, rules-based international system has suffered a significant setback with Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. Despite longstanding critiques from the left, branding it an ideological illusion, the current global landscape—especially outside the Western sphere and among non-allied nations—reveals a stark dearth of faith in the moral and political foundations of such a framework. Ironically, President Biden’s unwavering backing of Israel is contributing to the erosion of the very Liberal International Order (LIO) he pledged to revive upon taking office.

Recent developments in the Middle East, preceded by the conflict in Ukraine, have cast a spotlight on the United Nations—particularly the Security Council—as the linchpin of institutionalism and the multilateral liberal international order, revealing its struggles to uphold its foundational mission of global peace and security. The UN’s inability to broker an end to the Ukrainian war has been mirrored by a similar impasse in resolving Middle Eastern tensions. The Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel has led to repeated vetoes against motions for a ceasefire in Gaza, effectively stymieing collective international efforts to quell the strife. Such unilateral U.S. actions have eroded the efficacy and credibility of the United Nations, diminishing its standing within the global community. This erosion culminated in the veto against the Palestinian state’s bid for full UN membership, further undermining the rationality and legitimacy of the international order that the organization is meant to embody.

The fading vision of reinstating the liberal international order, while unconditionally backing the Israeli government, grows dimmer with each passing day. The U.S. has extended military and diplomatic support to Israel, despite actions against civilians that stand in stark contrast to the liberal international order’s core tenets of human rights respect and genocide prevention. The disregard for Israel’s conduct by the U.S. and its allies starkly contradicts their stance on Russia’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine, exposing a disconcerting moral duplicity and a propensity for double standards.

The erosion of the liberal order’s intellectual underpinnings, coupled with the West’s descent into moral insolvency, has bolstered revisionist critiques of the Western-centric liberal paradigm. These critiques, historically articulated by major powers like Russia and China, as well as the Global South, have gained traction. Amidst their intensifying strategic rivalry with the United States, China and Russia perceive the ongoing Middle East crisis and the U.S.’s approach to it as a strategic blunder. This distraction, they believe, diverts Washington’s focus away from containing Beijing’s rise and undermines its global influence.

The ongoing conflict and President Biden’s handling of it have inadvertently amplified the significance and sway of the Global South, which seeks a fair and unbiased world order. The ascent of the Global South’s wealth and influence relative to the West negates any rationale for acquiescence to a Western-dictated global hierarchy. In 1974, the economic output of China, India, and other developing nations constituted a mere 26% of the global economy. Fast forward to 2024, this figure has surged to 53%, effectively doubling their previous share. Conversely, the economic proportion held by the so-called First World nations has dwindled from 62% to approximately 44% within the same timeframe.

The Middle East crisis, in the wake of the Ukrainian conflict, has starkly demonstrated the potential perils the liberal international order poses to global peace and security—a system President Biden has sought to revitalize and fortify. The U.S.’s unwavering military and diplomatic backing of Israel is poised to escalate the Gaza strife into a comprehensive regional conflict, contrary to Biden’s intentions. Israel’s recent military adventures against Iran, despite explicit American cautions against escalating tensions, underscore Tel Aviv’s assurance of the Biden administration’s support in any eventuality.

The enduring legacy of the US’s prolonged military engagements and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq, justified under the guise of liberal interventionism, remains etched in global memory. The eastward expansion of NATO, a strategic endeavor to extend the liberal world order’s influence into Eastern Europe, aimed at containing Russia and potentially transforming its political landscape, precipitated Russia’s aggressive response to the tragic conflict in Ukraine. Moreover, there is growing apprehension over the prospect of another devastating conflict, fueled by the United States’ persistent efforts to constrain China and coerce it into compliance with the liberal international order’s dictates. Such maneuvers suggest that the liberal international order may be capable of yielding outcomes that are antithetical to the ideals of international peace and security.

President Biden assumed office in 2019, championing the ambitious goal of rejuvenating the liberal international order. Yet, the path to this restoration grows increasingly dim with each policy enacted in its name. The administration’s unwavering stance in the Middle East, particularly its staunch support for Israel, casts a shadow over the once-promising vision, rendering it seemingly naive and out of touch. The harsh realities in Gaza paint a grim picture of the consequences of such policies. True allegiance to the principles of the liberal order necessitates a reevaluation of the U.S.’s unconditional backing of Israel and a commitment to mitigating the violence. This necessary shift appears, for now, to be a distant and unlikely aspiration.