Barely a month into his presidency and Joe Biden’s foreign policy already seems like a joke.
On Sunday, 48 hours after Yemen’s Houthi rebels were removed from a State Department terrorist list and US support for the Saudi-led military effort against the Houthis ended, Biden’s government turned around and the Iranian supported group asked to stop committing acts of terrorism on civilians and cease military operations.
The State Department sees this as a master plan to end the war. This prompted the Saudis to endorse the idea of a negotiated settlement, and called on the Houthis to stop inflicting suffering – which would indeed be a big step.
But there is no hint of any punishment if they do not (perhaps put them on the blacklist again?) – and they now surely think that they are closer to winning than ever before. After all, Biden will not support the Saudis again.
This is beyond naive.