President Biden’s first state visit to the Middle East is being defined by the superficial way he greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and by the political way they discussed the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In fact, reporters are dogging Biden and his team with questions about Khashoggi – as if his murder in 2018 is the only issue that matters between the United States and Saudi Arabia. But Biden could have avoided this untenable spectacle by holding a press conference long before leaving for Saudi Arabia. He could have used it to put this issue into proper perspective and answer all questions.
Before leaving for Saudi Arabia…
Biden could have begun his press conference with an opening statement that read something like this:
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I suspect the whole world knows how forcefully I condemned Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi Arabia during the 2020 presidential campaign for killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
He denies any personal knowledge or responsibility. But, in light of the findings by our intelligence agencies, I stand by my condemnation. It was a barbaric act. And I reiterate my condolences to his fiancé.
As I’m sure you all know, President Erdogan of Turkey condemned the crown prince and Saudi Arabia even more forcefully than I did. And who can blame him. They executed this notorious murder in his country.
Of course, Turkey is an important NATO ally. And it is playing a vital role in our efforts to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s genocidal onslaught.
But Turkey has also been instrumental in bringing the men who executed this murder to justice. It prevailed upon Saudi Arabia to prosecute and sentence many of them to death – sentences that were later commuted to 20 years in prison.
President Erdogan saw this as pivotal. And it explains why he took the lead in rehabilitating the crown prince by inviting him on a state visit to Turkey last month.
We discussed his decision to do so. Suffice it to know that, for him, it made sense for Turkey.
This compelled me to reconsider what makes sense for America in this context. And, after much consultation with my foreign policy advisers, I have decided that it makes sense to reset our relationship.
Saudi Arabia has been our most important ally in the Arab world for 80 years. We have developed a strong bond over those years. To appreciate this, you only have to look at that viral image of former President George W. Bush holding hands with King Abdullah, as they walked around his Texas ranch in 2005.
But there’s no denying the strategic importance Saudi Arabia has played in helping us spread our influence and execute our missions throughout the Middle East.
The simple truth is that it is not in America’s interest to risk irreparable harm to our relationship with Saudi Arabia over the killing of Mr. Khashoggi. But, if you are among those demanding I shun the leaders of Saudi Arabia for the rest of my presidency, ask yourself if you think I should also shun the leaders of China and Russia – whose record on human rights, even with respect to the killing of US citizens, is far worse. I think we all know the answer…
And so this week I have had very constructive talks with the king and crown prince to settle our differences and reset that agenda for our relationship for the next 80 years. And first on that agenda will be my state visit to the region next month. I’ll be advancing my peace initiative with stops in Israel and the Palestinian Territory, before flying on to Saudi Arabia for meetings with Saudi and other regional leaders.
With that I’ll be happy to take your questions.
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If Biden had done that…
Holding such a press conference in the last week of June would have prevented the all-too-foreseeable spectacle that is playing out.
Foremost, it has US reporters making it seem to the world as if the killing of one man is of greater concern and strategic interest for the United States than, among other things,
- brokering peace between Israel and Palestine,
- ending the war in Yemen,
- improving women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, and
- getting Saudi Arabia to help reduce the price of gas here in America.
And Biden himself is only compounding the juvenile spectacle afoot by playing into the parlor game about whether it’s better to fist bump with the crown prince or shake hands.
This, as if fist-bumping the hand of a person you deem a bloody murderer is more respectable than shaking it… I mean, how asinine is that!