Joe Biden may prefer not to visit the Middle East this week or any other week. His plan is complete.
Allies of the President’s Democratic Party in the US Congress appear to be heading for a poor result in November’s midterm elections. The Russian invasion of Ukraine touched off the most serious confrontation between the world’s most considerable nuclear-armed powers since the height of the Cold War. China eagerly watches for signs of a US decline as its drastic rise to global power progresses.
To make matters worse, President Biden’s previous visits to the Middle East have shown the limits of American power. When he visited Jerusalem as Barack Obama’s Vice President, he was humiliated by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he called for a moratorium on Israel’s settlement projects for Jews in the occupied territories, which were internationally opposed and illegal under the law.
He is visiting Israel and spending a few hours in the occupied Palestinian territories before heading to Saudi Arabia, where he will attend a summit of Gulf leaders along with Jordan, Egypt and Iraq.
President Biden is travelling because of the depth and complexity of the crises he is trying to capture.
The Russo-Ukrainian War has eroded the last hopes for a peaceful future that followed the end of the Cold War more than 30 years ago.
When Americans vote, the economic consequences can cost them dearly. And the conflict between friends of America and friends of Iran in the Middle East is heating up again.