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OPEC Move Shows the Limits of Biden’s Fist-Bump Diplomacy With the Saudis [1]
['David E. Sanger', 'Ben Hubbard']
Date: 2022-10-05
Officials said at the time they had made major progress in ending the war in Yemen, which the Saudis had helped prosecute, and moved incrementally toward eventual Saudi recognition of Israel. Yet the Saudi decision to support the oil output cut by OPEC and its allies, and ignore the pressure from the United States, marked yet another step in the strategic distancing between the two historic partners.
If there is any lesson from Mr. Biden’s bitter experience, it is that the days are gone when American presidents could request favors from their Saudi allies and expect them to be carried out merely for the good of the relationship, or to ensure the continued American commitment to protecting the kingdom from foreign attacks.
Prince Mohammed has deliberately distanced himself from Washington, cultivating broader international relationships, notably with China and Russia. He has also made it clear that he does not view Saudi Arabia as a junior partner to the United States and that he is willing to shrug off any demands that he considers contrary to Saudi interests.
Since the start of the Biden administration, this dynamic has played itself out in the interactions between the crown prince and Mr. Biden. But it was never clearer than in recent months, when Mr. Biden and his aides argued that the time had come to reset the relationship. That’s what the fist bump symbolized. And the apparent Saudi agreement to increase oil output to help bring down global prices was part of the quid pro quo.
Wednesday’s cuts showed that the effects of that reset had been short-lived, or that the Saudis did not consider the benefits of helping the United States after Mr. Biden’s visit enough to continue the favor.
Some analysts of Gulf politics saw the move as a direct strike at Mr. Biden.
“It is definitely political. It has nothing to do with money,” said Cinzia Bianco, a Gulf research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The Saudis, she said, had been disappointed by what they had received from the United States after Mr. Biden’s visit to the kingdom.
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[1] Url:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/05/us/politics/opec-biden-saudi-arabia.html
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