Biden's Saudi Feud Can Only Bring Destructive Consequences

In response to the decision by the Saudi-led OPEC+ oil cartel to significantly reduce oil production just one month before the critical U.S. midterm elections, President Joe Biden and his allies in Congress plan to "reevaluate" America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.

He said there would be "consequences" for the Saudis in response to the oil production cut.

This is another example of national security malpractice by the current administration.

Joe Biden has been engaged in a destructive feud with Saudi Arabia, one that's damaging the crucial U.S.-Saudi relationship.

This only serves to push the Saudis closer to Russia and China.

The close, decades-long U.S. and Saudi relationship is not just energy-based; it's also rooted in national security.

Saudi Arabia is a crucial U.S. partner in promoting Mideast stability and also in countering Iran. Saudi Arabia also is the largest buyer of U.S. arms.

It has been evident since the 2020 presidential campaign that Joe Biden does not understand the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

As a candidate, Mr. Biden said that as president, he would make the Saudis "the pariah that they are" and said there is "very little social redeeming value in the present government in Saudi Arabia."

After he took office, Biden immediately moved to downgrade relations with Saudi Arabia and snub its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The president publicly declared that he would only communicate directly with the king, not the crown prince. He revoked the Trump administration’s terrorist designation of the Houthi rebels, an Iranian terrorist proxy.

Team Biden also "paused" most arms sales to the Saudis in early 2021.

Although the administration resumed arms sales to Saudi Arabia in late 2021, it's considering halting them again in response to the recent OPEC+ oil production cut.

President Biden’s animosity toward Saudi Arabia is primarily due to the killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in 2018.

This writer doesn't dispute that the Khashoggi killing was an outrage, but both the Trump and the Biden administrations have already confronted Saudi Arabia about it.

Team Biden released intelligence on this matter in February of 2021 and sanctioned and issued travel bans against Saudi citizens in response to this killing.

Like many U.S. friends and allies, Saudi Arabia is not a mirror image of the United States.

We have differences with its human rights record.

But Biden's obsessions with Saudi human rights and the Khashoggi killing have not just blinded him to the importance of the U.S.-Saudi security partnership, they have also led him to ignore significant progress underway in Saudi Arabia on greater freedom for its citizens — especially women — and marginalization of the nation’s radical Wahhabi clergy.

Such reforms are due to the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi leader President Biden has repeatedly shunned.

Saudi officials also are tired of the U.S ignoring its concerns about Iran’s nuclear program.

Saudi Arabia strongly opposes U.S. efforts to revive President Obama’s deeply flawed nuclear deal with Iran, the July 14, 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and especially resents that it has been excluded from negotiations to reach a new nuclear deal with Tehran.

Saudi officials have reacted strongly to how the Biden administration has mistreated them:

• In March 2022, Saudi and UAE officials refused to take phone calls from President Biden when the president wanted to ask for their help to lower U.S. oil prices.
• Last July, President Biden left Saudi Arabia empty-handed after the Saudis offered to make only a small increase in oil production and said the OPEC+ group would decide about any increased output by its members. The Saudis also did not agree to a U.S. proposal to create a new regional security alliance to counter threats from Iran.
• On Oct. 5, OPEC+ agreed to deep cuts in oil production despite intense pressure from the Biden administration.
• The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the crown prince has mocked President Biden in private, "made fun of his mental acuity," and told advisers "he hasn’t been impressed with Mr. Biden since his days as vice president and much preferred former President Donald Trump.

Additionally, Russia and China have made moves to take advantage of fraying U.S.-Saudi relations during the Biden administration:

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei rushed to visit Saudi Arabia in March 2021 to cash in on President Biden’s mistakes with the Saudis. Russia and Saudi Arabia signed an oil production agreement in June 2021 and military cooperation agreements in February and August of the same year.
• Saudi Arabia took a significant step to improve relations with China in March 2022 when it said it planned to abandon U.S. dollar transactions for some oil sales to China and switch them to China’s currency, the renminbi. In 2021, Saudi Arabia became an observer in China’s anti-U.S. Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
• Saudi Arabia was the biggest recipient of investment from China’s "belt and road" initiative in the first half of 2022 and recently agreed to serve as a "regional hub" for Chinese manufacturers to give them better access to markets in Asia, the Mideast, and Europe.

Although reports of improved Saudi relations with China and Russia are concerning, the United States maintains a deep security partnership with Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis also have significant differences with Russia and China because of their close relationships with Iran.

For the time being, this writer believes Saudi officials are sending strong messages to express their displeasure about the state of U.S.-Saudi relations to the Biden and his associates.

If Team Biden responds to these messages by punishing Saudi Arabia instead of trying to repair ties, irreparable harm could be done to this relationship and Mideast security.

Such missteps also could pave the way for Russia and China to expand their influence in the region significantly — at America’s expense.

Fred Fleitz is a Newsmax TV Contributor and vice-chair of the America First Policy Institute Center for American Security. He previously served as National Security Council Chief of staff, CIA analyst, and as a member of the House Intelligence Committee staff. Read more reports from Fred Fleitz — Click Here Now.