On the campaign trail in 2019, President Joe Biden wrongly called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” and vowed to make the kingdom “pay the price.” Referencing the Saudi royal family specifically, he said there is “very little social redeeming value in the present government in Saudi Arabia.”
Biden’s comments were flat-out wrong and sent a terrible message to the world. The grave consequences of these missteps included emboldening Iranian-backed proxy groups to sow chaos in the region and strengthening Russia and China’s ties to the region.
Last week, Biden headed to Saudi Arabia in a position of weakness directly attributable to his political pandering and failed policy objectives. He is haunted not only by what he said about the Saudis but also by his attempt to revive a seriously flawed Iran nuclear deal.
In the wake of the energy crisis, the Biden administration’s attitude toward Saudi Arabia has markedly warmed. This is a welcome shift from Biden’s previous adversarial tone, but Biden should never have been in the position where he had to thaw relations with such an important security partner.
I recently had the opportunity to visit Saudi Arabia with two Republican congressional colleagues and meet its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Our conversation with the crown prince was a welcome opportunity to discuss the importance of a strong U.S.-Saudi relationship, our two nations’ shared history and interests, the modernization of Saudi Arabia’s legal system and culture, threats posed by Iran to regional stability, and the global energy crisis.
The crown prince was incredibly thoughtful throughout the discussion and demonstrated a remarkable depth and breadth of knowledge on the problems facing his country and the world.
Saudi Arabia is one of our strongest and most important allies in the Middle East, vital to our fight against Islamic extremism and our mission to meet the world’s growing demand for energy.
The United States should be doing more, not less, to support Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf region from Iran’s rocket, missile, and drone attacks.
The U.S. should unequivocally provide the kingdom with the precision-guided munitions and the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance necessary to defend our common interests and minimize collateral damage.
The U.S. should not be grandstanding publicly about disagreements with Saudi Arabia. Allies and partners should save minor disagreements and tough conversations for behind closed doors. Even last week in his op-ed about the trip, Biden practically apologized to Iran and the American Left for visiting our two closest allies in the Middle East: Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Donald Trump understood the tremendous potential of a strong U.S.-Saudi relationship. Unfortunately for America and its allies, Biden is learning that lesson the hard way.
Thankfully, our friends in Saudi Arabia take a patient and deliberate approach to dealing with this administration. Better relations appear to lie ahead.
Guy Reschenthaler represents Pennsylvania’s 14th District in the House of Representatives.
