President Joe Biden was on a Middle East visit last month, July 2022. During his visit, he attended some conferences, and signed agreements on Climate Change, Technology, Energy, etc. This visit was very significant in terms of power politics, especially at a time when Russia and China are developing closer ties with the Middle East. President Joe Biden had a reserved foreign policy with Saudi Arabia in the near past. But what happened all of a sudden that it took a shift of 180 degrees and established ties with the country? The reason is very simple: “vested interests”.
First of all, the Middle East is a land of rich natural resources, with oil important of all. This factor has always caught the attention of superpowers of every time, whether it was the colonial period or the modern age. Amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the importance of the peninsula has increased drastically as Russia has banned oil supply to Europe causing an energy crisis throughout Europe. This deficiency could be, to some extent, recovered through the oil supply of the Arabian Peninsula.
Secondly, Saudi Arabia has shown an East-oriented interest when Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Salman declined the telephonic conversation with Joe Biden at a time when Russia Ukraine war was going on. Meanwhile, the prince made a telephonic call with Russian president Vladimir Putin and China’s counterpart Xi Jin Ping. This has upset the American leadership as they have been convincing the Middle Eastern nations to favor resolution concerning sanctions against Russia in the UN. However, Saudi Arabia remained hesitant about such a move.
Thirdly, defeat in Yemen and Syria along with continuous attacks of Houthis on oil reserves has caused serious damage to Saudi Arabia. In this alarming situation, prince MBS has committed himself to shift the economy of the country from oil to a global market economy. To realize this dream, the country needs to establish economic ties with regional countries. Hence, China and Russia could have a welcoming future in the country. But America is observing this as a defeat of its dominance in the global market.
Fourthly, America is a debt-ridden economy. According to some estimates, America owes trillions of dollars to more than 2 scores countries. Moreover, America’s face has also been unleashed in destroying Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Libya in the disguise of empowering so-called democracy. Whereas America has always instigated war-like situations in the countries, China’s policy has a different outlook_ that is to establish economic ties with countries.
To sum up, we can say that America is trying its level best to contain the growing impact of Russia and China on the global economy. The 21st century is witnessing a shift of power from the West to the East. America has dominated global politics since WW2. But the recent economic rise of China has posed a vital threat to the superpower.
