Biden Meets With Saudi Leaders on Oil, Regional Ties
U.S. President Joe Biden will meet (Reuters) with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and hold a separate working session with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Although Biden had pledged before taking office to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah,” he gave a fresh defense of his visit as an effort to shore up regional stability and address strains in the global oil market.
Reports say Biden is not expected to secure (Bloomberg) a commitment from Riyadh on oil, though he credited U.S. diplomacy for helping negotiate a Saudi agreement to open its airspace to flights from Israel that was announced today. The president said he will discuss human rights with Saudi leaders but stopped short (NPR) of committing to raising the 2018 murder of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. Biden will meet other Gulf leaders on Saturday.
Analysis
“[Saudi flight rights for Israel] would help consolidate the Israeli-Arab strategic partnership that has found expression in the Abraham Accords and the March 2022 Negev Summit, which brought Egypt into the circle of the accords. These steps toward normalization would further legitimize Israel’s military role in the Arab world and facilitate strategic cooperation against Iran,” CFR’s Steven A. Cook and Martin S. Indyk write for Foreign Affairs.
“[Biden’s] planned trip will not only undermine the pursuit of justice for Khashoggi; it will also reinforce the view that the United States only selectively stands up for human rights,” Amnesty International’s Agnès Callamard writes for Foreign Affairs.
President Biden pledged funding (Politico) for hospitals and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees during his visit to the West Bank, which followed two days of meetings in Israel. He said he supports a two-state solution (Times of Israel) “on the 1967 lines” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but that “the ground is not ripe at this moment” for talks.
China’s economy grew only 0.4 percent (Nikkei) during the April-June quarter compared to the same period last year, its worst performance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. It is uncertain whether China will reach its target of 5.5 percent growth this year.
For the Geo-Graphics blog, CFR’s Benn Steil and Benjamin Della Rocca look at the economic consequences of Beijing’s bet on zero COVID.
Pacific Islands: Pacific Islands Forum countries declared a climate emergency (AP) in a communiqué released on the last day of their leaders’ meeting.
South and Central Asia
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sworn in as Interim President
U.S./India: The U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment (Hindustan Times) to a defense spending bill that would exempt India from sanctions for purchasing a Russian missile defense system. The amendment’s sponsor, Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA), said the proposal would strengthen the U.S.-India defense partnership. It still requires Senate approval.
Chad’s Government Pledges National Dialogue in August
The national dialogue would likely be a precursor to elections. Interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby had promised to transition to democratic rule (Reuters) after he took power following the killing of his father in April 2021.
Mali: The country suspended UN troop rotations (Africanews, AFP) within its borders. The move comes four days after Mali arrested forty-nine soldiers from the Ivory Coast who were working with UN forces and accused them of being mercenaries.
Europe
Italian President Rejects Prime Minister’s Resignation Offer
Prime Minister Mario Draghi offered to resign (FT) amid a rift in Italy’s governing coalition. He is due to address Parliament next week.
Ukraine: At least twenty-three people were killed (BBC) in a Russian missile attack on the city of Vinnytsia, Ukrainian officials said. The city lies southwest of Kyiv, far from the war’s front line in the country’s east.
Americas
UN Security Council to Vote on Arms Transfers to Haiti
The Security Council will vote (AP) on a U.S. and Mexican resolution that calls on countries to stop small arms transfers to Haiti and warns that it could sanction individuals who support criminal activity in the country, which is grappling with a spike in gang violence.
Pivotal Senator Will Not Back Biden’s Climate, Tax Plans
Without Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) support, President Biden’s planned legislation to address climate change and raise taxes on wealthy individuals and companies would be unlikely to pass (WaPo).
Friday Editor’s Pick
Nature investigates the radical plan by low-income countries and the World Health Organization to tackle global vaccine inequity.
