Where Is The Red Carpet? Biden ’s Inane Trip To Saudi Arabia

Jordan CohenAhead of his trip to the Middle East, President Joe Bidencoined an op ‐​ed in theWashington Post explaining his reasons for traveling to the region —specifically, Saudi Arabia. The President is going to ask Saudi Arabia for help with oil prices and, in exchange, possibly resume sales of offensive weapons to Riyadh that he halted early in his administration.Unfortunately, the reality is that such a  decision would prove costly.Biden notes that his tough approach to Saudi Arabia —including revealing the intelligence report on the Khashoggi murder, issuing new sanctions on those involved in Khashoggi’s killing, and rejecting 76 visas for Saudis involved in harassing dissidents abroad—is working. The President furthers that these moves have “reversed the blank‐​ch eck policy” the country inherited from the Trump Administration.One would assume that, if this toughness is working, the United States would see a  more diplomatically reliable regime that shows even tacit consideration for human rights and personal liberties. Saudi Arabia fails on both counts. From a security standpoint, Riyadhcontinues its involvement in Yemen andrefuses to work alongside Washington to diplomatically stop the Ukraine crisis.Biden only briefly hand ‐​waves at human rights considerations in Saudi Arabia. He notes that “there are many who disagree with my decision to travel to Saudi Arabia,” but clarifies that his “views on human rights are clear and longstand...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs