Here’s what Bloomberg Opinion columnists and contributors have been saying about what Biden wants to perform through the journey and what’s at stake:
Biden Needs to Seek More Than Oil From Saudi Arabia“In agreeing to visit Saudi Arabia, US President Joe Biden has stepped back from his vow to treat the country as a ‘pariah.’ Critics have blasted him for overlooking Saudi human-rights violations, including the brutal murder and dismemberment of former Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. In exchange, Biden has won only a token increase in oil production that won’t do much to lower gas prices at home. Even so, Biden’s trip can serve a valuable purpose. Healthy US-Saudi ties are critical to calming a volatile part of the world and stabilizing global energy markets.” — Bloomberg’s editorial board
Biden’s Gulf Reversal Is the Wrong Kind of Realism“On closer inspection, however, the notion that Biden’s proposed pivot to the Gulf is a realist triumph quickly falls apart. Saudi Arabia, of course, occupies a unique position in the global economy thanks to oil production, and the US cannot and should not cut off all ties with Riyadh. Until now, the Biden administration has walked a careful line, maintaining active diplomatic connections while publicly criticizing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. With a major policy shift, it’s not merely that the administration would be embracing MBS and his human-rights abuses, appalling though they are. The bigger problem is that it would do little to support US interests, while potentially obligating Washington to a host of new commitments in the region.” — Emma Ashford
Biden’s Risky Trip to the Mideast Is Also Pointless“Biden’s every word will be scrutinized for political preference. Pleasantries will be touted by his hosts and denounced by others as meddling in Israeli politics. His visit to the West Bank, where he plans to meet the head of the Palestinian Authority, is a controversy waiting to happen. No American president has ever visited the contested area before. The break from diplomatic precedent will be welcomed by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. But the battle here is for the future, and there is no reason to suppose that a summer chat between 87-year-old Mahmoud Abbas and the 79-year-old Biden will make much of a difference in the contours of the Holy Land.” — Zev Chafets
Biden Needn’t Abandon Principles in Saudi Arabia“When President Joe Biden visits Saudi Arabia, he’ll be moving past the antipathy he expressed during the presidential campaign toward the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He’s right when he says that whatever his personal feelings about the Saudis’ human-rights record, the US partnership with Riyadh is indispensable, for reasons ranging from oil prices to the containment of Iran to great-power competition with China. But Biden shouldn’t avoid raising human rights with King Salman and the crown prince. A serious conversation about ongoing abuses should be a win-win for the US and the Saudis.” — Hussein Ibish
US and Saudi Arabia Can’t Stay at Odds Forever“The most important partnership in the Middle East has been put in jeopardy by the peevishness of a prince and political opportunism of a president. Repairing the Saudi-American relationship will require the first to behave like a grown-up, the other like a statesman. That’s asking a lot of two men who have little in common beyond a reputation for stubbornness. One operates in a conscience-free bubble that comes with absolute power, while the other wields a selective moralism characteristic of a performative political culture. But the war in Ukraine just might help them both get over themselves.” — Bobby Ghosh
Can Saudi Aramco Meet Its Oil Production Promises?“If the oil market was a religion, its central article of faith would be the maximum production capacity of Saudi Aramco, a tenet based on confidence in what we hope to be true and belief in properties we have not yet witnessed. The market is about to have its epiphany. Aramco, the state-owned Saudi Arabian oil giant, claims it can sustainably pump 12 million barrels a day, well above the kingdom’s OPEC+ August target of 11 million barrels. For the global economy, Saudi spare capacity is the last line of defense against more energy inflation. But apart from a few top company executives and a handful of Saudi royals, no one knows for sure whether Aramco can deliver. The rest either have blind faith in Aramco — or simply don’t believe.” — Javier Blas
This column doesn’t essentially replicate the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its house owners.
Robert Burgess is the chief editor of Bloomberg Opinion. Previously, he was the worldwide government editor answerable for monetary markets for Bloomberg News.
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