Objectives of Biden’s trip to the region

Biden’s trip to the region comes after a relatively long delay since his presidency. The objectives of this trip can be analyzed in three economic, political, and security areas:

1. A) Economic

If the war in Ukraine had not happened and the United States and European countries were forced to impose “sanctions” on Russian oil and gas in a “punitive policy” due to the military attack on Ukraine, as a rule, we would not have been witness to the visit of the US president to Saudi Arabia so soon.

Joe Biden, who from the very beginning of his presidency treated Riyadh with criticism and indifference for issues related to human rights and the case of Khashoggi’s murder, as well as the radical policies of bin Salman, is today being faced with the issue of “oil” and “human rights”, has prioritized the oil option.

The embargo on Russian oil and gas has had “devastating consequences” for the US European allies. In case no solution is found for it, it will become the basis for social unrest, political crises, and insecurity in European societies.

Saudi Arabia, as the largest oil producer in the world, after a year and a half of “policy of indifference” by the White House, has once again gained “strategic importance” as a result of the Ukraine war which, according to Washington, can save the country’s European allies to some extent from many problems caused by the shortage of oil and gas; this is the key point that brought Biden to Saudi Arabia; that is to say, the management of the “easy and low-cost energy transfer process from Saudi Arabia” and some Arab countries aligned with the United States to Western markets.

1. b) Political

Regarding political objectives, four main targets can be identified:

First, the Zionist regime is trying hard to normalize its political and diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. Some upcoming obstacles, including “fear of internal and regional reactions” have caused Saudi Arabia to act “cautiously” in this regard and despite the hidden security relations, “resist” the “pressures” of Washington and the Zionist regime for normalization and development of bilateral relations. This issue is not acceptable at all for the Zionist regime, which strongly needs relations with Saudi Arabia.

In his regional trip, Joe Biden is trying to “facilitate the process of normalization” of the Zionist regime’s relations with Saudi Arabia and some compromising Arab countries, to move clearly and transparently the Abraham Accords, which is in an “ambiguous state”, towards a stable and real agreement based on official relations. Restoring Tel Aviv’s relations with the Palestinian Authority that was damaged during the Trump presidency is also another political objective of this trip.

Of course, the Saudi rulers should be aware of the policies that they may adopt after Biden’s visit, especially in the field of normalization, and not be deceived by the United States, because any “miscalculation” and ill-considered action regarding the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime will definitely have “severe consequences” and “dangerous results” for Riyadh.

Second, during the trip, Biden intends to closely consider a solution to the current problems of the Zionist regime’s cabinet, which has posed a fundamental danger to the survival and political existence of that regime.

Third, Biden will discuss with Saudi Arabia and some rulers in the region the case related to the war in Yemen and the ceasefire that is being implemented in this regard.

Fourth, election exploits and improving Biden’s political position in the United States are also other political objectives of the trip. The noticeable drop in Biden’s popularity in domestic public opinion and the difficult conditions for the Democrats to win the congressional mid-term elections can also affect the 2024 presidential election, which, of course, Biden’s failure to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has been effective in it, is an important issue that should be considered in this regard.

1. c) Security

Biden’s trip to the region also has several security objectives, which in this context reference can be made to “strengthening the regional consensus” against the Islamic Republic of Iran, “tightening the security belt around Iran”, in which implementation of the Arab NATO plan is one of the proposed arrangements and evaluation of the idea “integration of air defense of the countries in the region” as an effective defense covering against Iran.

Also, Biden seeks to make the necessary arrangements between the Zionist regime and the countries related to the Abraham Accords regarding the connection of the air defense systems based in some Arab countries to the defense systems of the Zionist regime and the integration of information gathering tools to make the necessary arrangements.

Concluding point

The national interests of the United States have been formulated in such a way that the two areas of Europe and West Asia play a key role in its
“maximum provision”. When the two areas are in challenge, it is natural that the national interests of the United States will also be “challenged”.

The economic, political, security, and social problems caused by the embargo on Russian oil and gas in Europe, the unstable political and security conditions in the occupied territories, and the fragile state of the Abraham Accords, in which the US is the main designer and initiator of it, problems related to the process of revealing the relations of the Zionist regime with Saudi Arabia and some Arab countries and Iran’s regional policies are the “four important issues” that have created problems in securing the national interests of the United States at both regional and international levels.

Considering that any tension in the regions and countries that are considered allies of the White House and act in the direction of the interests of the United States, has faced the country with problems and put a heavy burden on its foreign policy, therefore, Biden has preferred to travel to the region to find mechanisms to solve the existing problems. Whether Biden’s trip to the region will be a successful trip is a matter which should be discussed later.