As he begins revamping policy on Saudi Arabia, President Biden is aiming for a balance that tightens US control over Riyadh, without breaking a strategic partnership that will celebrate its 76th anniversary on Sunday, current and former US officials said.
The overview of relationships with the oil-rich kingdom is broader than reported. Along with the arms sales and Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, it includes an assessment of whether the US has done enough to hold Saudi officials accountable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and other aspects of the two countries’ ties, US say. officers. said.
During his campaign, Mr Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah”. Since then, the new administration has taken a different tone by emphasizing that the US will help defend the kingdom against attacks by Iranian-backed forces in the region, even as it called for an end to the civil war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia was in 2015 intervened. .
While relations have deteriorated over the past decade, Washington and Riyadh still need each other on multiple fronts, from grappling with Iran to coordinating counter-terrorism and energy policies, current and former officials said.
“It’s quite difficult to envision a strategy in the region that can work without the Saudis being part of it,” said Dennis Ross, who held key positions in the Middle East under Republican and Democratic presidents.