Shifting Sands: Saudi Arabia, UAE Rise as America's Influence in the Region Wanes
Changing Dynamics: Saudi Arabia and UAE Rise Amid Decline of American Influence
Table of Contents (Show / Hide)
The sun sets on America's once-dominant presence in the region, as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerge as influential players, leveraging financial prowess, oil resources, and the realm of sports to reshape the geopolitical landscape. By capitalizing on their strategic significance, these nations have begun to sidestep the positions of traditional Western allies, including the United States and, historically, England. In Israel, a surge of Jewish nationalists and religious hardliners are steering the nation's trajectory, diverging from Washington's desires—an echo of Britain's struggle during the final days of its trusteeship over the region.
Across the Mediterranean, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, driven by ambitions to rekindle the glories of the past, orchestrates a geopolitical dance between Western powers and Eastern influences. Navigating deftly, he draws benefits from the United States, NATO, the European Union, Russia, and China, fostering an environment of constant flux. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, since taking office in 2021, has largely refrained from direct intervention in the myriad crises spanning the West Bank, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan. The complications within the United States, coupled with his strategic focus on China and Ukraine, have consumed his attention.
Prominent among Biden's pledges in the region is the revival of the Iran nuclear deal—a promise that remains unfulfilled since its unraveling under former President Donald Trump's tenure. As Biden strives to reshape America's global leadership, he endeavors to navigate the rivalry between Beijing and Moscow. Paradoxically, he dispatched an additional 3,000 troops to the Persian Gulf this month to assert dominance. Yet, as one observer succinctly puts it, the era of America's supremacy "has long ended."
With the looming US presidential election, Biden aspires to clinch an audacious trifecta: orchestrating a rejuvenated US-Iran accord, facilitating a historic peace pact between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and making headway toward an independent Palestinian state.
In the backdrop of these endeavors, significant developments include talks in Qatar concerning the release of American detainees and China's mediating role in the rekindling of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia—an event met with both concern and interest from the United States. In parallel, diplomatic overtures are directed at Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, urging a recommitment to the "Abraham Pact" and normalization with Israel.
Biden's strategy revolves around the belief that an Israeli agreement could pave the way for Palestinian independence, curbing West Bank annexation ambitions and revitalizing the stalled two-state peace process. However, this "hat trick" of diplomatic achievements seems clouded by the realm of the "unrealistic and illusory." As the era of American global dominance draws to a close, Biden's efforts to sustain the existing order echo history, mirroring the fate of Britain in the past.
Author: Simon Tisdall, Editor at The Guardian Newspaper
URL :
News ID : 2440
After the Line's failure, Saudi Arabia plans to build a 2-KM Skyscraper
63 Chinese warplanes, 4 ships seen around Taiwan
Syria opposition slams West's "double standards" over response to Ukraine war
Naftali Bennett Urges Israelis to Stay Amid Rising Emigration Concerns
US judge sentences Ahmaud Arbery’s killers to life in prison
Major sports events of 2022
Unraveling the Origins of Saudi Arabia and UAE's Differences
Israel-Saudi Normalization: Navigating Complexities for Regional Change
Nakba 75: Palestinian citizens of Israel are exiles in their own land
Saudi Arabia's Shifting Alliances and Priorities
