Biden’s Double Success in the Middle East

The president of the United States take appropriate action against Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Joe Biden, who became president a little over a month ago, has made two important decisions this week, both correct, in one of the most complex areas of the international scene, the Middle East. The CIA report linking Saudi Arabia’s leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was kidnapped, murdered and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, is a remarkable warning about the importance the U.S. is going to accord to respect for human rights, regardless of how prominent its allies. Biden emphasized this idea in a telephone call with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.

There is no doubt about the historical importance of the alliance between Washington and Riyadh, nor is there any question about the human rights violations committed by the Saudi regime. It is appropriate that the Biden administration take a step such as disclosing the involvement of high-ranking Saudi figures in the murder of a dissident. It is desirable now that this disclosure marks the beginning of a more demanding policy with respect to the desert kingdom in the matter of human rights.

The other important decision is Biden’s first public military order for an air strike in Syria against infrastructure controlled by Iranian-backed militias operating in that country. As it happens, Biden chose the most moderate of the three military options on the table, which, on the one hand, sent a firm signal to Tehran and at the same time, tried not to disrupt the rapprochement with the Ayatollah regime in the effort to reactivate the nuclear treaty that blew up when Biden’s predecessor unilaterally abandoned the agreement in 2018. The president of the United States has thus demonstrated his acute knowledge of the diplomatic scene.

Both of Biden’s decisions exude transparency; safeguarding alliances and preferring diplomatic channels does not mean one has to hesitate in responding or look the other way when faced with excessive situations.