According to the western media, the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held the US-Saudi Strategic Joint Planning Committee (SJPC) in Washington in recent days. During the meeting, the delegations of both countries discussed a broad range of security challenges throughout the Middle East region, including the war in Yemen, maritime threats, and violent extremist organizations. Both sides exchanged views on national defense priorities and the US approach to China as its pacing challenge, Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region, and collective efforts to counter the smuggling of weapons to terrorist groups in the region.
The United States and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had a long history of bilateral cooperation, defense and security collaboration. The core of the US-Saudi ties had been the United States provision of military protection to KSA in exchange of supply of Saudi oil along with support to US foreign Policy in the MENA region. The two countries enjoyed warm relations over the decades, while Saddam Hussain invasion of Kuwait, US war on Iraq, global war against ISIS as well as conflict in Yemen had further cemented the US-Saudi friendship. After the killing of Saudi-American Journalist Jamal Khashoggi and deteriorating situation of human rights in war-hit Yemen had prompted the Biden administration to pull back its unlimited support to the Saudi government last year. President Biden had been a staunch critic of the Saudi Crown Prince due to his involvement in Khashoggi’s death as well as the human and women rights situation in the Kingdom.
After a year of strained relationship between the two countries, a new momentum is taking place in US-Saudi partnership because US President Joe Biden is preparing to meet Saudi’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman next month. In fact, US foreign policy compulsions in the Middle East and United States dire need for oil amid war in Ukraine has prompted Biden to hug Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman unwillingly, with whom he had refused to deal with on principle of statesmanship. Apparently, politics has no religion and principle; it strides on need and pressure instead of choice.
