Opinion
by:
E. Eugene Webb PhD
We
have all had to do it at one time or another, that awful moment when we must go
to somebody we have openly criticized, and they know it, and ask them for a
favor.
It
is happening at the highest level of the US government this weekend as
President Biden ventures to Saudi Arabia and a meeting with Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman.
Back
in the days of the presidential campaign, like many politicians, Biden would
become the victim of unfortunate political rhetoric. Biden made a vow during
his election campaign to make Saudi Arabia a pariah, and once he was elected;
he refused to speak with the Crown Prince, attempting to punish him with
isolation.
President
Biden approached this moment with few cards in his hand. The U S economy is in
fitful shape, as we all know, inflation the highest, it's been in 40 years in
the past month, gasoline prices through the roof, and now he needs the Crown Princes’
help in increasing the oil supply in hopes that increased supply will drive
down gasoline prices at the pump and in turn create some turnaround in the
inflationary upward spiral.
It was very difficult to see how this could go well. The Crown Prince enjoys his
position on the world stage as a power player and with vast amounts of wealth
and influence over the world oil markets, it would seem the Crown Prince may be
in the driver’s seat.
Biden
likes to negotiate. But a true negotiation involves something you have that the
other party wants, and something that the other party has that you would like
to have or accomplish. It is unclear at this point that there is little, if
anything, the Crown Prince, and Saudi Arabia need from the United States.
Perhaps
the Crown Prince would like a very embarrassing Biden apology for his comments
and positions both before, and after he was elected president but that will
leave an already weakened Biden literally coming back to the United States with
his tail between his legs.
Biden's
old-school approach of negotiate and compromise simply does not work in today's
world order and global economy. As calls continue to rise for Biden not to run
for president in 2024, a political embarrassment with Saudi Arabia would most
likely seal his fate.
I'm
writing this as the conversations between the Crown Prince, and the president
are just beginning, and it's extremely difficult to know how all this may
finally end up. One thing is certain. It is unlikely that President Biden has a
significantly deep understanding of all that motivates the Saudi government and
the people in control.
They
live in a world entirely different than ours with an old world look but a new world
view. A world view that has developed over decades of manipulating the major
global source of energy for political power purposes.
As
president of the most powerful nation in the world, you would think that President
Biden would be on an equal or even greater footing than the Crown Prince.
The
fact is, he is not. With our economy sagging, the moral culture of our
population eroding, inflation running rampant, and more and more regimes around
the world willing to stand up to the United States, Biden appears in this most
difficult moment at one of the most critical times in our country's history as
the weaker of the two adversaries.
How well President Biden does or does not do in this verbal confrontation with the Crown Prince may well shift the global political power structure.
If
Biden does not hold his own with the Crown Prince, he may very well return to
the United States as a lame duck president.
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