Search

U.S. President Joe Biden's "reset" of Washington'sapproach to the Middle East increasingly looks like acontinuation of the policies of his predecessor, formerPresident Donald Trump, with an added measure of pietyand evasion about what's really driving theadministration's decision-making process. But an unwitting admission might have come last week whena White House reporter asked Biden why he changed hismind about meeting Saudi Arabia's once-blacklisted defacto ruler, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, known asMBS. [Extracted from the article]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought some clarity to regional realignments and strategic partnerships in the Middle East, with the changing relationship between the United States and the oil-producing members of the Gulf Cooperation Council in particular coming into sharp focus. But after more than a week of fighting in Ukraine, one thing has become clear: Washington's partners in the Middle East are increasingly confident about taking an independent course, unmoored from--and arguably in defiance of--Washington and seemingly in coordination with each other. [Extracted from the article]

Diplomacy Roundup In one of the highest-level signs of the diplomatic reengagement underway across the Middle East, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the United Arab Emirates (https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/turkiye-uae-sign-13- agreements-in-various-areas/2502456) on Feb. 14-15. The nature of Anthony Shadid's work is sometimes misunderstood. [Extracted from the article]

But looking at the current state of U.S. policy at the end of the Biden administration's first year, the aim, at least, is to pursue solidly plausible, median outcomes. What is the U.S. up to in the Middle East?. [Extracted from the article]

Many optimists in the Middle East as well as in Washington have argued for some time that governments in the region will find new ways to embrace diplomacy and cooperate among themselves if foreign powers like the United States take a backseat and reduce their footprint in the region. Against all logic, these same monarchs have now demanded a full-fledge treaty alliance with the U.S. and appear likely to get major new security guarantees, at the same time that they are distancing themselves from the U.S. and defying its policy preferences. [Extracted from the article]

Editor's note: This is the web version of our subscriber-only weekly newsletter, Middle East Memo, which takes a look at what's happening, what's being said and what's on the horizon in the Middle East. Now another high-profile government critic in the Middle East is at risk: the Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who was arrested by state security forces during a wave of protests there in 2019. [Extracted from the article]

The events of recent years have made it increasinglyclear that the assault on human rights and democracyin the West and the Middle East are not merelyparallel phenomena--they are directly connected. Security regimes inthe Middle East often justify repressive policies withfalse, exceptionalist and essentialist ideas aboutIslam, terrorism, women, LGBTQ communities andother identity groups. [Extracted from the article]

Washington's partners in the region complainabout feeling abandoned, while its rivals crow aboutdriving the U.S. out of the Middle East. The U.S. Needs a "Big Idea" to Frame Its Middle East Policy The U.S. hasn't "quit" the Middle East, notwithstandingthe frequent complaints of its regional partners. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on how much should expectations and hopes be raised now that Middle East rivals are talking without necessarily putting a pause on their disputes. It mentions proliferation of diplomatic engagement would seem to bear out the argument of officials in the region as well as many outside observers in the U.S. It also mentions intra-Gulf Cooperation Council feud officially came to an end in January 2021 and channels of regional diplomacy have also opened up.