When 79-year-old President Joe Biden prostrated himself before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman July 15, he begged the de facto Saudi leader to increase oil production. Once the Ukraine War started Feb. 24, Biden made the foolish decision to boycott Russian oil, causing shortages and skyrocketing prices in Europe and around the globe. Biden didn’t consider the consequences to boycotting Russian oil, about 25% of the oil and natural gas supply to Europe. Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia came after he chose to shut down the U.S. fracking industry, making it more costly, more difficult and less profitable to bring tar-sands oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Biden’s first order of business after taking office was to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline which would have helped continue the country’s energy independence. No, Biden followed environmental extremists, going after U.S.-produced fossil fuels.
Bin Salman had his ears tuned in to Biden’s attacks against the 36-year-old Saudi Crown Prince whom Biden blamed for the Oct. 2, 2018 death of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Biden said he would never recognize Bin Salaman for the role he played in Khashoggi’s death. Then, after the Ukraine War, Biden realized the boycotting Russian oil was not a good idea for the U.S. and EU, creating shortages and skyrocketing prices. Once the soaring gasoline prices hit American consumers, Biden’s approval ratings took a bigger hit, with ordinary citizens strapped for cash to pay for wildly inflated pump prices. Then came hyperinflation out of left-field, causing price hikes in all commodities and services, further hammering American consumers. Biden’s approval ratings continue to plummet. Then Biden go the desperate idea to going to Bin Salman to increase Saudi oil production.
Biden looks like a reckless fool, letting energy prices torpedo the U.S. and global economy, creating more hardship for ordinary consumers. Can you imagine Biden pleads with Bin Salman for more fossil fuel when he wrecked U.S. energy indpendence? U.S. was a net oil exporting economy under former President Donald Trump. Trump wanted to drill environmentally safely on the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve [ANWR], yet it was all cancelled by Biden. So, once Biden decided to sabotage the U.S. fracking industry, he decides, at the same time, to boycott Russian oil. Biden has morphed the Ukraine War into a U.S. proxy war against the Russian Federation, a close ally of Saudi Arabia. So Biden, denigrated any U.S. ally that continued doing business with the Kremlin, all because he decided to adopt Ukraine, supply the country unlimited cash-and-weapons over Kremlin objections.
Biden’s poor foreign relations now stretch to a much bigger list than just Russia and China. Bin Salman has zero incentive to sell the U.S. more oil, when Biden holds such hostile feelings toward the Saudi leader. Biden once said he would never deal with a murderous thug like Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. How’s Bin Salman supposed to forget all of Biden’s hostile rhetoric toward him, now begging to increase U.S.-Saudi oil imports? “We are concerned first and foremost with the interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and then the interests of the countries that trusted us and are members of OPEC and the OPEC+Alliance,” Energy Minister Prince Abdulazis told Saudi TV Wednesday. Biden pressured Bin Salman to make a decision on Ukraine between the U.S. and Russia. Bin Salman wasn’t playing Biden’s games against Russia, deciding to maintain his relations with Moscow.
Biden overplayed his hand expecting all nations loyal to the U.S. to condemn Moscow for its war against Ukraine. Instead of gaining more allies, Biden actually lost his coalition to maintain crippling economic sanctions against the Russian Federation. Biden couldn’t get the BRICS economic block, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to join his coalition against the Kremlin. Whatever anyone feels about Ukraine, they’re not going to be bullied by Biden or anyone else. OPEC does what’s best with “those of the world because we have an interest in supporting the growth of the global economy and providing energy supplies in the best way,” said Abdulazis, letting Biden know that the U.S. is not Saudi Arabia’s top priority. Abdulaziz knows that the U.S. competes with Saudi Arabia to supply oil to global markets, even though Biden wants to pick-and-choose its customers.
Biden turned its back on Saudi Arabia when it comes to battling Iran-backed Yemen’s Houthi rebels, still battle the Kingdom. Biden refused to join Saudi military coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, knowing that Biden hoped to revive the moribund 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] AKA Iranian Nuke Deal. So when it comes to the U.S., Bin Salman no longer sees the U.S. as much of an ally, especially after the death of Khashoggi. Biden made he feelings about Bin Salman known too many times, saying he would only deal with King Salman, Bin Salman’s father. Biden prides himself on his foreign policy savvy, watching him alienate Riussia and China from Day 1, but realizing that tradition allies like Saudi Arabia no longer trust the U.S.. When Biden visited Bin Salman July 15, he did nothing to reassure the Crown Prince that the White House accepted his leadership of the Kingdom.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
