Exterior And Interior Motives Of Biden’s Trip To The Middle East – OpEd

Regarding the visit of Joe Biden, the President of the United States, to Saudi Arabia, it is necessary to put aside the appearances so as not to get bogged down in the analysis of marginal issues and not neglect the fundamental issues. The President of the United States looks at developments through the glasses of world order. For this reason, the severe competition between China with the United States, the alliance between China and Russia, and its connection with the war in Ukraine, which has had a clear impact on energy markets and security, especially in Europe, is considered a priority for Biden. Therefore, it can be assumed that global energy security is at the top of the US president’s priorities.

The current president of the United States has divided the world into two groups, democratic and dictatorial. Therefore, the issue of reforms in the structure of the Middle East region is essential for him, although it will not be his main priority. However, Biden will use this issue as a double-edged weapon as a lever of pressure and the implementation of reforms within the framework of free-market policies and the establishment of a democratic structure in the countries of the region that is acceptable.

Nowadays, security has become a gate for forming coalitions. President of the United States intends to use this gate to introduce Israel into the new regional security structure, which will probably change the region map. The security of Israel is the unchanging priority of the United States, although changes in ensuring Israel’s security are possible. Israel’s integration into the new regional security structure means that the basis of Biden’s vision is security, not peace, and his visit to Ramallah is merely a political cover for other developments. In this way, we should not expect Arab-Israeli peace to be one of the priorities of the United States` president. However, aid may be given to the Palestinian government as a right to remain silent so that the plan to integrate Israel into the security structure of the region is implemented.

Another issue is focusing on a wide range of issues of disagreement and mistrust between old allies by stopping in Israel and Saudi Arabia. The first goal of this trip could be to explore the formation of a new bloc in the Middle East. The White House expects the formation of a US-led bloc in the Middle East based on a genuine partnership between Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council, especially the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as well as other Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan, to be a significant step forward in the relations between Washington and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf.

Since the signing of the Abraham Accords in August 2020, Israel has been working on expanding diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Bahrain through diplomatic ties. The process of normalizing Israel’s relations with its neighbors in the complex Middle East region is of great strategic importance to Washington. It can be said that the improvement of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as the relations between the two countries with the United States, will establish diplomatic relations with other key Arab countries. The United States strongly supports Israel’s integration into the Middle East region. It expects the Middle East region to be on the verge of significant change by forming a military bloc between Israel and some Arab countries.

Biden’s visit to the region is unrelated to the United States’ domestic issues, the mid-term elections, and the future of the Democratic Party in Congress. In the meantime, it can be said that any talk of Arab-Israeli peace, such as the solution of forming two countries, etc., will only be a part of appearances to make Biden’s trip acceptable to the people. Still, no severe decision will be made in this regard.

In closing, the real dynamics of world power have been significantly altered by the Ukraine war and the United States, while not directly involved in the war. But it has gained a great deal of credibility for resisting Russian aggression by European countries. It is expected that Biden’s trip to the Middle East will have critical regional consequences, but the profit or loss from this trip depends on the ability of the regional countries to play their cards professionally, which will secure their interests and remove threats from them. Besides, the United States will form a new geopolitical alliance in the Middle East in post-war Ukraine to perpetuate the Western union in Europe. If Biden succeeds and his administration can harness the region’s potential to reduce global crises, a new Middle East strategy will be devised for the White House.