What Did Biden’s Trip Achieve for the United States and Its Middle East Partners?

On July 16, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. wrapped up a much-anticipated Middle East trip that took him to Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and Saudi Arabia, including attending a summit meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council along with Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq. Those countries effectively constitute the nucleus of a potential U.S.-led coalition in the region that could meet immediate threats such as Iran’s nuclear ambitions, particularly given the impasse at the nuclear negotiations. In the long run, forming such a network of cooperation could also help Washington curb Chinese influence among traditional U.S. partners. But is such a coalition plausible? And did this trip help develop one?

If not, was Biden at least able to secure significant bilateral progress with Israel, the Palestinians, and the Saudis? Did Biden’s visit reset relations with Saudi Arabia and, in particular, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman? Was Biden able to gain more Saudi support on oil production and pricing and assuage Saudi concerns about Washington’s security commitment to its regional partners? Is a formula developing to address Palestinian concerns sufficiently to facilitate more cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia? And, ultimately, are these the first steps in developing a regional coalition that could better allow countries in the region to work together and allow the United States to provide umbrella leadership with a smaller but more efficient and effective footprint? Or is the United States back to basics, trying to address regional threats with ad hoc groupings of regional partners based on bilateral relations without a broader framework?

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