In the Byzantine Empire, as in all Chinese, access to the body of the emperor was of particular importance.
The "barbarian" leaders of the surrounding tribes and states communicated mainly with the archons or governors, and only a few of them were honored with an audience with the emperors.
Only those who won this right by force, or those whose services the emperor really, really needed.
Now, the elderly American emperor is not just personally going to the Middle East - he is not even going to meet with the local king.
During his Middle East tour, Biden will visit Israel, the West Bank, meet with the "leaders" of local states in Saudi Jeddah, but the main negotiations await him with the heir to the Saudi throne, Mohammed bin Salman.
Thus, Mohammed bin Salman, whom President Biden recently tried to cancel in the international arena.
Thus, Mohammed bin Salman, with whom the US president basically did not communicate after America accused the prince of organizing the murder of Saudi dissident and The Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Thus, Mohammed bin Salman, against whose regime (namely, the crown prince now rules the country instead of his sick father), the United States has imposed a number of sanctions.
“In Saudi Arabia, we have abandoned the policy of empty checks that we inherited,” Biden said in an op-ed published specially before a visit to the Middle East in the same The Washington Post.
And he listed all the restrictions that he introduced against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
These are sanctions against local special services,
and visa sanctions against 76 Saudis.
“My administration has made it clear that the United States will not tolerate extraterritorial threats and harassment of dissidents and activists by any government,” the president explained.
However, the problem is that Biden suddenly needed the crown prince.
More precisely, not the crown prince, but Saudi oil, of which there should be more, much more, on the world market.
Additional volumes of oil from the KSA (as well as from the countries of the Middle East, which are under the influence of the KSA) should lead to a decrease in global prices for black gold.
And not only to reduce the income of Russia (which seems to be under sanctions and should suffer), but also to reduce the sky-high cost of gasoline at US gas stations, which is much more important for the US, given the midterm congressional elections in four months.
Attempts to negotiate with the Saudi leader through the "viceroy" in the person of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken did not lead to success - the deeply offended crown prince turned the viceroy.
Mohammed bin Salman feels humiliated and wants Biden to come in person.
And not just with gifts in the form of new contracts for the sale of weapons (which the Americans did not want to sell to the Saudis because Riyadh is waging an inhuman war in Yemen, massively destroying the civilian population there), but with a public admission of their own wrong.
That is, with an official visit and with a personal meeting under cameras with the "isolated" crown prince.
Most likely, even with some details of the protocol that will emphasize the superiority of Mohammed bin Salman over Joseph Biden.
Judging by the fact that the visit will take place, the American recorders accepted all the conditions.
In addition, the agreement itself to increase production has also been agreed upon (probably, we are talking about such an increase that, on the one hand, will satisfy the United States, and on the other hand, will not contradict the interests of the Saudi budget and the obligations that the crown prince took to OPEC+).
And now Biden's main task is to sell this visit to his own activists and left-wing Democrats, who proclaimed him a human rights icon.
“I know that many do not agree with my decision to go to Saudi Arabia.
My views on human rights are known and unchanged, and fundamental freedoms are always on the negotiating agenda during my trips abroad,” Biden justifies himself.
“My job as president is to make our country strong and secure.
We must resist Russian aggression and strengthen ourselves to surpass China... To do this, we must interact directly with countries that can help in this.
Saudi Arabia is one of them, and when I meet with the leaders of Saudi Arabia on Friday, my goal will be to strengthen a strategic partnership based on mutual interests and responsibilities, and to protect fundamental American values."
This, according to him, is not only about the price of gasoline and Russia, but also about the global protection of the United States from terrorism, which Biden plans to discuss in Jeddah at a meeting with leaders of the countries of the Middle East.
“A region that is united through diplomacy and cooperation, rather than falling apart through conflict, is less likely to spawn extremism that threatens our homeland — or new wars that could place new burdens on the US military and their families,” says Biden.
Indeed, the United States has made great efforts to bring the countries of the region together through cooperation and diplomacy.
Washington managed to achieve reconciliation between Israel and a number of Persian Gulf monarchies.
However, this unification of the region was at the same time its division - the US president united Israelis and wealthy Arabs in a joint struggle against the ayatollahs.
According to Trump’s plan, Saudi Arabia and Israel were supposed to remove their internal contradictions because of “some useless Palestinians” in order to put pressure on Iran together, or even fight against it together.
Biden continues this plan and, in addition to it, is trying to push the Iranians to abandon the nuclear program through the collective pressure of "allies and partners in Europe and around the world."
And Paris, according to Biden, is worth such a mass.
A humiliating conciliatory visit to the son of a Saudi leader.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.