The Biden administration is portraying the president’s trip to the Middle East next month as a contribution to peace and stability in the region, but it is more likely to entangle the U.S. in future conflicts.
The effort to normalize relations between Arab states and Israel, as currently enshrined in the Trump administration-initiated Abraham Accords, ignores one major source of conflict in the region – Israel’s occupation of Palestine – while potentially accelerating another – a possible war with Iran. Adding Saudi Arabia to the mix, either formally or informally, will only accelerate this dynamic. As currently conceived, the Abraham Accords look more like an excuse to sell more weapons to the region and consolidate an anti-Iranian military bloc than a step towards an enduring peace in the Middle East.
A new element of the Biden Middle East policy that will be emphasized during his trip is a region wide air defense system – officially known as the Middle East Air Defense Alliance – that will include Israel and the Gulf States. But the creation of the air defense network is just one part of an initiative to increase U.S. military commitments to the region, most notably by offering stepped up security assurances to the UAE
HANGZHOU, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 04: Saudi Arabia Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the ... [+]
A case in point is the brutal Saudi/UAE intervention in Yemen, which has resulted in the killing of thousands of civilians in air strikes enabled by U.S.-supplied bombs and aircraft and contributed to a death toll that has reached nearly 400,000 people, is a stain on the reputation of the United States as will as a destabilizing force in the region. The U.S. has been a party to the war since 2015, as noted in a recent Government Accountability Office report that has identified over $54 billion in U.S. arms supplies to Saudi Arabia and the UAE over that time period.
A temporary truce in Yemen is a welcome sign, but the United States should use its leverage as the primary supporter of the Saudi and UAE militaries to promote a genuine peace accord and head off a resumption of the fighting there, as called for by Congressional advocates of a Yemen War Powers Resolution. The measure, which now has more than 100 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, would cut off U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia, including maintenance and spare parts that are essential to keeping the Royal Saudi Air Force flying. Sending more U.S. arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE will just increase the prospects for a resumption of the war in Yemen, with devastating effects. By contrast, stopping military support will send a strong message that the U.S. wants the truce to continue as a stepping stone to a comprehensive peace agreement to end the war. As Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has pointed out, “The clearest and best way to press all sides to the negotiating table is for Congress to immediately invoke its constitutional war powers to end U.S. involvement in this conflict.”
For its part, the UAE has added to the chaos in the region with its support of anti-government forces in Libya in violation of a United Nations arms embargo. It has also conducted surveillance of UAE critics worldwide, including U.S. citizens, and has attempted to interfere in the U.S. political process through its lobbying efforts and use of middlemen who cultivated close ties with Trump administration officials.
The UAE has also sought closer ties with China, and neither Saudi Arabia or the UAE have taken firm stands against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sarah Leah Whitson underscored this point in a piece in the American Prospect:
“Not only did our “partners” ignore the Biden administration’s pleas to punish Russia for its invasion, acquiescing to only a toothless, exhortatory General Assembly resolution, but they refused to co-sponsor the Security Council resolution demanding Russian withdrawal from Ukraine or to support sanctions against Russia, instead offering safe haven to fleeing Russian oligarchs.”
These are not the actions of reliable allies.
Rather than doubling down on an alliance with repressive regimes like the UAE and Saudi Arabia that could draw the U.S. into a future conflict with Iran or elsewhere in the region, the Biden administration should focus on rescuing the Iran nuclear deal – known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – and bringing a conclusive end to the war in Yemen. And rather than doubling down on unconditional military support for Israel – slated to reach $37 billion or more over the next decade – the administration should press for a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These actions will do far more to foster peace and security in the region than expanding U.S. military ties with Middle East autocracies. And they will open the way to a reduced U.S. military presence in the region, a move that is manifestly in the long-term interests of the United States.
