President Joe Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month and his fist with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has drawn criticism for the litany of human rights abuses in the country. But a Northeastern University professor says the commander-in-chief's visit does not suggest he has given up on an entirely friendly relationship with the Middle Eastern nation.
As Northeastern Assistant Professor of Political Science Dr. Julie Gary explains, the United States is constantly reviewing its relations with many countries, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), with which it has maintained a long-standing alliance, is no exception.
The director of Northeastern's Security and Resilience Studies program does not see Biden's visit to the nation as a sign that the Democratic president's administration “has given up on maintaining close, friendly relations with the kingdom or, on the other hand, destructively adversarial relations.”
“President Biden in his own words he has a long list of issues that he hopes to make progress on, but I don't interpret that to mean that he has suddenly reversed course thinking that there are a lot of challenges in Saudi Arabia and challenges between the two countries,” says Garey. .
Those who opposed Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia did so out of concern over several issues, including the country's “dismal human rights record,” according to Garey, who specializes in U.S. international relations, foreign policy and national security, and the international organizations. Critics of the president's trip have highlighted the kingdom's prominent role in the war in Yemen, which has led to widespread famine, suffering and death, its history of harboring terrorist organizations and concern over growing Chinese influence in the region, the professor says.
The gruesome killing of Saudi-American journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 is another major reason why people criticized Biden's visit to the country, as the CIA concluded four years ago that the crown prince ordered the murderdespite his claims to the contrary.
In a statement Last week, the White House said Biden addressed Khashoggi's killing during a meeting with the crown prince and received commitments from the country “regarding the reforms and institutional safeguards in place to protect against any such conduct in the future”. Biden also said the crown prince told him that he was “not personally responsible” for Khashoggi's murder. The president told reporters he retracted that claim.
When asked if the United States' relationship with Saudi Arabia undermines US credibility on the world stage, Garey says that in some countries and foreign leaders, the alliance reflects poorly.
“This is especially true for Saudi Arabia's neighbors who have adversarial relations with the kingdom,” he notes. “Although many other democratic countries also maintain relations with KSA, it is very likely that they find it paradoxical and sometimes hypocritical that the Biden administration, which considers itself a champion of human rights and democratic values, would travel to Saudi Arabia and will engage in talks with the successor.”
Northeastern professor of political science Max Abramsexpert on international security, particularly in the areas of terrorism, counterterrorism and United States foreign policy, points out that Saudi Arabia's “impeccable” geopolitical record is no secret and has been known for some time.
“Saudi Arabia is what Saudi Arabia is: It's an unfree country and everyone knows it,” he says. “Far beyond killing him [Jamal Khashoggi], Saudi Arabia is quite tyrannical with dissidents in their country. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly used indiscriminate violence against Yemen, contributing to arguably the world's largest humanitarian disaster. Frankly, Saudi Arabia was involved in the 9/11 attacks.”
Abrahms notes that there has always been a disconnect between the United States' stated ideals and its behavior around the world, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. Beyond the kingdom, the US has allied itself with illiberal regimes throughout history.
“At least, that's certainly been the case in modern American history since it became a true global actor in the 20th century,” Abrahms says.
In this disconnect, Abrahms explains that there are two major schools of thought in the field of international relations about how countries should behave: Liberalism emphasizes that nations should act morally and align themselves only with nations that act morally, while realism holds that countries should act in their own self-interest, even if that means aligning themselves with countries that are not liberal.
The liberal school of thought criticizes the United States' alliance with Saudi Arabia, while realists stress that the kingdom is an “indispensable” partner in countering Iran, a US rival that poses a potential nuclear threat, according to Abrahms.
Moreover, with natural gas prices soaring even higher after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the eyes of realists, there is a “national security imperative” for the United States to seek more affordable energy from Saudi Arabia, even if it doesn't it's green, says Abrahms. .
“Despite American interests in going green, the reality is that our economy still runs on oil and the Saudis export a lot of it, and the American economy is not doing well right now. Inflation is very high and energy prices are through the roof,” he explains. “So it makes perfect sense for the president to try to do everything on the world stage to make the economic lives of Americans easier.”
Another purported reason for the United States' close relationship with Saudi Arabia is its concern for the stability of the Middle East region and its many states, according to Garey.
“I think the United States, at least for the foreseeable future, will always see itself as having interests in the Middle East. I think he will also continue to look for multiple avenues to protect, preserve and advance those interests,” says Garey.
“A US-Saudi relationship may be one asset in the toolbox of American policymakers, but there is no way that diplomats and policymakers believe it is the only one, nor do they believe that any advantage is perfect or will always be beneficial . Most importantly, the US is taking as thoughtful and deliberate a state-by-state approach as possible,” he adds.
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