The debate over the “negligent” US policy towards the Middle East was sparked by the visit of the Saudi Foreign Minister to Damascus and his meeting with Assad, analysts said. This stands in contrast to the previous Obama and Trump administrations, which took a “tougher” stance.
In an interview with Fox News, Michael Rubin, a Middle East expert at the American Enterprise Institute, Biden’s mismanagement of relations in the Middle East, particularly with Arab countries, was evident in the failure to prevent Arab normalization efforts with Assad. Rubin further stated that Biden is politically and diplomatically absent on Syria, rather than imposing a compromise or normalization.
Rubin argued that previous Arab demands for reforms and justice have been pushed aside, and that “Biden’s mad attack on Saudi Arabia over the killing of a former intelligence agent now comes at the cost of denying justice to millions of Syrians.”
“Biden’s team is also blind to what comes next: Will the Arab bloc oppose the United States and green light the U.N. channelling reconstruction funds though Assad’s hands? In essence, will the international community, including the U.S. indirectly through its support of the U.N., allow Assad to profit from murder to the tune of billions of dollars,” he added.
In Rubin’s view, there is a cynical tragedy for Biden, who came into office talking about human rights, but his top advisers’ naivety, arrogance, and stupidity have ensured that his legacy will be the biggest human rights disaster.
Cost-free normalization
Joel Rayburn, a former deputy assistant secretary of state who served in the Obama and Bush administrations, recently commented on the situation in Syria, telling Fox News that “Syria is slowly being brought back into the fold in the Middle East, but it’s not worth it because Assad has done nothing to deserve greater ties in the region.”
Rayburn went on to say that Washington should rely more on diplomatic efforts with its Middle Eastern allies to find new and innovative ways to pressure adversaries like Assad, “so that any further rehabilitation of this tyrant comes with a cost.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
