President Biden
Joe BidenFeds Investigates Cuomo’s Treatment of Outbreaks of Nursing Homes Overnight Defense: One-Third of Service Members Refuse Coronavirus Vaccination | Biden will take action in response to Solar Winds hack | US, Japan reach agreement on cost sharing over money: Biden gets backlash from links on student loans | Where things stand on the COVID-19 aid measure Retail sales take back MORE shifts the U.S. approach to Saudi Arabia by turning away from the preferential diplomatic access given to certain Saudi officials during the Trump administration, which gave the kingdom a prominent role in America’s Middle East policy.
Biden is expected to speak with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman at some point, indicating a downgrade in relations with the kingdom’s daily ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an extraordinary figure on the world stage.
The emphasis is on Biden communicating with the Saudi king, a move described by the White House press secretary Jen Psaki
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“There’s a tone and a shift in substance,” said Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “Not 180 degrees – I still think they’re trying to figure out exactly how to define it – but there’s clearly a re-evaluation going on.”
The crown prince has played a prominent role in the Trump administration’s approach to the Middle East, and has reportedly exchanged WhatsApp messages with the former White House senior adviser and Trump’s son-in-law. Jared Kushner
Jared Corey Kushner LIVE COVER: Democrats focus on Trump remarks ahead of attack on Capitol Kushner. Ivanka Trump reported up to 0 million foreign revenue during the White House years. Can Palestine matter again? MORE, which helps pave the way for the Abrahamic Agreements, which begin relations between Israel and the Gulf and African countries.
But the crown prince also alienated Washington over his alleged role in ordering the assassination and dismemberment of US Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in October 2018.
Trump in particular underestimated the role of the crown prince in Khashoggi’s assassination in an attempt to maintain strong bilateral ties and wrote in an extraordinary statement that ‘maybe he did and maybe not’ had knowledge of the plot against the journalist who The Washington Post wrote.
Biden’s director of national intelligence, Avril Haines
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Officials from the Biden administration have welcomed the Abrahamic era of the Trump era as a positive development, but have already taken steps to reduce US support for Saudi action, which is seen as a contribution to human rights atrocities. .
‘We know that Saudi Arabia [Arabia] is an important partner in many different fields; “Regional security and terrorism are just two of them,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ned Price said in a news conference with reporters on Wednesday.
‘At the same time, the strategic partnership must reflect and respect the values we bring to the table as well as our interests, and the American people expect US policy towards Riyadh to prioritize the rule of law, respect for human rights. ”
Biden put human rights at the forefront of his foreign policy agenda, ending US support for the Saudi-led offensive in neighboring Yemen and ending relevant arms sales.
His decision to reverse a last-minute move by the Trump administration to label Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis as a terrorist organization was welcomed by advocacy groups as a retreat from the brink of a catastrophic humanitarian disaster in Yemen.
There is also dual support in Congress to hold Saudi Arabia more accountable for its human rights abuses, such as Khashoggi’s assassination and the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Democrats further called on Biden to confront Riyadh over allegations that the Saudi government has helped its citizens accused of crimes in the US flee the country to avoid justice.
“The Saudi government has really given its critics a lot to work with,” said Hussein Ibish, a senior resident of the Arab Gulf State Institute in Washington, “and even people who support the relationship should say the Saudi government should do better, especially on human rights. ”
Riyadh has taken a stricter stance from the Biden government. On the campaign trail, Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” and promised a stronger hand in relations.
The kingdom took a number of steps that regional experts considered to come out in the face of criticism from the Biden government. Last month, Riyadh eased the blockade on Qatar imposed at the start of the Trump administration.
Saudi Arabia’s treatment of arrested activists is also attracting attention as a gesture of goodwill from the kingdom. These include the decision last month to reduce the prison sentence of Saudi prisoner Walid al-Fitaihi and the release of Saudi Americans Bader al-Ibrahim and Salah al-Haider pending their trial. Human rights groups have criticized their detention as attempts to stifle speech that is critical of Saudi policy.
In addition, prominent women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was released from a Saudi prison after being convicted on terrorism charges. Critics say her detention has been politically motivated for more than 1,000 days, and Al-Hathloul reportedly told her family that she had suffered torture and sexual abuse.
Other actions include efforts by Riyadh to edit his school textbooks and learning materials to remove positive references to religious violence, extremism and intolerance, especially anti-Semitism. The kingdom recently announced judicial reforms to codify its laws more in line with international standards.
“I think this is the Saudi way of saying, ‘We still value the relationship'” with the US, Satloff said, adding that the government in Biden and Saudi Arabia has a thorough, discreet way to think what I would like to think. dialogue on this. ”
On issues of shared importance, Biden’s government is strengthening its commitment to Riyadh’s defense capabilities in the face of cross-border attacks launched by the Houthi.
“We are not going to allow Saudi Arabia to be the target practice,” US special envoy Yemeni Timothy Lenderking told reporters on Tuesday.
The government has set out to resolve the conflict in Yemen and box in the pursuit of Iran as a nuclear weapon as its most urgent, primary foreign policy – areas where Saudi Arabia is a central and invested partner.
“Maintaining good relations with the Gulf states is really important to make the other policy work,” said Ibish, of the Gulf Institute.
“At both points, the Saudis will be key players – key direct players in Yemen and key indirect players in Iran.”
Relations between Washington and Riyadh were strained during the Obama administration, when Biden was vice president, over what the Saudis considered blinded by the US pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran, the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Regional experts believe Biden’s government is unlikely to make the same mistake of freezing Riyadh out of talks.
“We had a secret negotiation with Iran outside the regions of regional allies, those days are over,” Satloff said.
“I think we want to have a negotiation where we fully consult our regional comrades and they are on board as much as possible.”