As the renewal of policy toward Saudi Arabia begins, President Biden aims for a balance that strengthens the U.S. scrutiny of Riyadh, without breaking a strategic partnership that celebrates its 76th anniversary on Sunday, they said. current and former U.S. officials.
The review of relations with the oil-rich kingdom is broader than has been reported. Along with the arms sale and the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, it includes an assessment of whether the United States has done enough to hold Saudi officials responsible for the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and other aspects of the war. ties of the two countries, American officials. dit.
During his campaign, Mr Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah”. Since then, the new administration has taken a different tone, stressing 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 intervened in 2015.
Although relations have faded over the past decade, Washington and Riyadh still need each other on several fronts, from fighting with Iran to coordinating counterterrorism and energy policies, said the current and former officials.
“It’s quite difficult to predict any kind of strategy in the region that could work if the Saudis are not part of it,” said Dennis Ross, who held key roles in the Middle East under Republican and Democratic presidents.