China News Service, Beijing, July 13 (Sweet) U.S. President Biden finally "bowed" to high oil prices and went to the Middle East to find oil in person.
From July 13 to 16, Biden started his first trip to the Middle East during his tenure, visiting Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia.
With the Russian-Ukrainian conflict superimposed on the energy crisis, can Biden persuade Saudi Arabia and other Gulf oil-producing countries to increase production significantly?
The United States was in a hurry to withdraw from the Middle East, but now it has repeatedly "showed goodwill" to try to win over its allies and create a "Middle East version of NATO" to contain Iran, Russia and other countries. Will the Middle East countries "buy it"?
Data map: US President Biden.
Image source: Visual China
Biden's Middle East Roadmap
Just a few days before the trip, Biden wrote a high-profile article in the US media, claiming that he would vigorously launch a diplomatic offensive in the Middle East.
He hoped that this trip to the Middle East will open a more promising "new chapter".
First stop: Israel
According to the schedule released by the White House, Biden chose Israel, a traditional ally, as his first stop, and is expected to visit local missile defense facilities as a symbol of the U.S.’s commitment to protecting Israel.
Second stop: West Bank
Biden will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Senior White House officials said Biden looked forward to reaffirming his commitment to a "two-state solution" on the Israeli-Palestinian issue during the meeting.
Third stop: Saudi Arabia
After that, Biden will fly to Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia. Whether the two countries will "break the ice" is particularly concerned by the outside world.
Previously, the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia was based on "oil for security", but in recent years, due to events such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Biden himself has repeatedly criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights record during the US election.
Now, Biden claims to recalibrate the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and will reportedly meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In addition, Biden will also attend the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iraq, Jordan, Egypt (GCC+3) summits to discuss a range of bilateral, regional and global issues.
In recent years, why has the United States, which has continued to "strategically shrink" from the Middle East, changed its attitude and started to "go back"?
Data map: On October 27, 2021, it was reported that Saudi Arabia is turning an oil rig in the country into a theme park.
The move is aimed at making Saudi Arabia a top international tourist destination.
Image source: Visual China
Looking for oil: Biden "bows" to high oil prices
Finding oil is undoubtedly one of the main tasks of Biden's trip to the Middle East.
For months, U.S. domestic oil prices have soared and inflation has been high.
Biden has been trying to stabilize oil prices, even releasing oil reserves several times, with little success.
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the US and the West's energy embargo on Russia caused a huge supply gap.
The Middle East "floating on oil" has thus become an important "variable".
As early as March, the White House tried to arrange a phone call between Biden and the leaders of major oil producers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss curbing oil prices.
Unexpectedly, the "closed door" was exhausted, and both the Saudi crown prince and the UAE crown prince of Abu Dhabi refused to answer Biden's call.
Now, Biden is in the Middle East, planning to explain in person the reasons for OPEC countries to increase oil production.
How many Gulf oil producers will give face this time?
Bloomberg is not optimistic about this, arguing that Biden may only get a "symbolic" increase in oil production, which will not help much to reduce domestic oil prices in the United States.
The Associated Press believes that OPEC+, including Saudi Arabia, may remain cautious in the face of U.S. demands.
After all, the United States has put pressure on OPEC+ many times before, but the latter finally agreed to only a small increase in production.
Malik, head of oil and gas industry research at JPMorgan Chase, also pointed out that Saudi Arabia itself is more cautious about rapid production increases, arguing that sufficient reserves are needed to cope with any changes that may occur in the market.
On the other hand, the Gulf countries represented by Saudi Arabia have also been trying to avoid "choosing sides" between the United States and Russia.
Reuters said there was no sign that Saudi Arabia was prepared to sacrifice its long-term relationship with Russia in exchange for the short-term diplomatic benefits of responding to Biden's oil demands.
Data map: On January 28, 2020, former US President Trump and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a joint press conference at the White House to announce the so-called "Deal of the Century" to promote the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli issue.
The Palestinian side has previously stated that the agreement violated international law and called on the international community to reject it.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong
Friends: Trying to create a "Middle East version of NATO"
In addition to looking for oil, another layer of Biden's intentions is also clear - trying to win over allies and create a military alliance - "the Middle East version of NATO" to confront countries such as Iran and Russia.
According to German media, the military alliance is most likely to include countries that have established some relationship with Israel, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, signatories of the Abraham Accords.
Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait could also play a role in the alliance.
In fact, rumors of forming a military alliance have been circulating in the Middle East for a long time.
Since the Trump era, the United States has been accused of exerting pressure to "normalize military relations" between Israel and the Arab Gulf states.
In March, the United States convened a secret meeting of senior Israeli and Arab military officials.
Israel also revealed in June that it is establishing the Middle East Air Defense Alliance (MEAD), which is funded by the United States.
Shortly thereafter, King Abdullah II of Jordan explicitly mentioned and expressed his support for the concept of a "Middle East version of NATO".
So, how long will it take for the "Middle East version of NATO" to become a reality?
Qatar Al Jazeera believes that the alliance faces many feasible obstacles in its structural form, and all parties lack consensus.
Taking the Iran issue as an example, many Gulf Arab countries believe that dialogue with Iran is the safest way to resolve security concerns.
Even Bloomberg "poured cold water" on Biden - "The Middle East version of NATO? It can't happen."
Image source: Screenshot of Bloomberg report.
The Biden administration is eager to reshuffle the Middle East, but many of its policies are not indistinguishable from the Trump era in the eyes of the US media.
In the face of the Biden administration that has inherited "America First", how many Middle Eastern countries will "buy it"?
The answer speaks for itself.
(Finish)