Although it has long been known that President Joe Biden's visit to our region is imminent, it seems that at least parts of it will soon be officially announced, with one of the key developments being the US president's intention to hold an official meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. The unofficial boycott policy must be rested on by the assassination of a Washington Post journalist and opposed by the Saudi regime, Jamal Khashukji.
The New York Times, which spoke to White House officials, said: "While logistics are still being worked on, Biden intends to add his visit to Saudi Arabia to two more planned visits to Israel and Europe," they said.
They added that during his visit he would meet with Ben Salman, who according to US intelligence is responsible for ordering Hashukaji's assassination while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and hiding his body, as well as with leaders from other Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Iraq and the UAE.
The reason for the upheaval in the American approach, is the realpolitik victory over Biden's moral ideals, which Ben Salman called a leper during his presidential campaign because of the assassination.
Biden needs the help of Saudi Arabia in the regular supply of oil to the world, and in its great power over other oil producers in the world.
This is against the background of the expected interruption of imports from Russia in light of the sanctions imposed on it since the invasion of Russia.
Biden, who is in dire straits in light of rising inflation and fears among U.S. citizens of an economic crisis, actually wants Saudi Arabia to help him recover through the economy, and may even help the Democratic Party maintain its power in the House of Representatives elections and a third of Senate seats this November.
Also, against the background of the crisis in the current round of talks in Vienna between Iran and the powers, it seems that it is time for Washington to move closer to the Sunni axis in the Middle East.
To prepare the ground for the visit, the Biden administration on Thursday praised Saudi Arabia for its "brave leadership" in achieving a ceasefire in the war in Yemen.
President Biden, who as a candidate vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah”
in response to the assassination of a prominent dissident, has decided to travel to Riyadh this month to rebuild relations with the oil-rich kingdom at a time when he is seeking to lower gas prices at home and isolate Russia abroad.
While the logistics and timing were still being worked out, Mr.
Biden planned to add the visit to a previously scheduled trip to Europe and Israel, administration officials said, asking for anonymity because the trip had not been formally announced.
During his stop in Riyadh, he will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was deemed responsible for the assassination, as well as the leaders of other Arab nations, including Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
The visit represents the triumph of realpolitik over moral outrage, according to foreign policy experts.
In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Mr.
Biden finds it necessary to court other energy producers to replace oil from Moscow and stabilize world markets.
The group of oil-producing nations called OPEC Plus, led by Saudi Arabia, announced on Thursday that they would increase production modestly in July and August, and American officials expect them to do more in the fall.
The Biden administration has already been stepping up cooperation with Saudi Arabia on a variety of issues in recent months, particularly in seeking an end to the bloody eight-year-old Saudi-led war in neighboring Yemen.
A two-month-old truce was extended on Thursday, and Mr.
Biden praised Saudi leaders for their role.
"Saudi Arabia demonstrated courageous leadership by taking initiatives early on to endorse and implement terms of the UN-led truce," he said in a statement.
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