The Middle East: Goodbye America, and hello China

In addition to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, they are flirting with China and getting closer to Russia.

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. As soon as the United States became indifferent to the Middle East, China began to play with it. Now Washington regrets it, but its countries have already begun to sail towards Beijing … ships from Russia.

In an effort to salvage waning American influence in the Middle East, Anthony Blinken is taking a 3-day trip to Saudi Arabia this week. However, the US Secretary of State’s attempt to encourage strategic cooperation between Washington, the Kingdom of Saud, and other Gulf states may indeed be a lost cause.

Last July, Joe Biden, while attending a Gulf Cooperation Council summit, vowed that the United States would never and certainly not leave the Middle East in the hands of China, Russia and Iran.

In fact they’ve done exactly that ever since. Despite American objections, the regional allies improved their relations with Beijing and Tehran, while maintaining strong relations with Moscow.

China is moving fast

Although the US president has on several occasions downplayed the importance of the recent agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic relations brokered by China, it is a sobering testament to China’s growing influence in the oil-rich Gulf states and the world at large. east.

Although the United States has increased oil and gas production over the past two decades so that it is no longer dependent on the Gulf states, it wants to maintain its dominance in the region to counter similar energy claims from a war-seeking China, which could be between Washington and Beijing. In the near future, according to some military sources.

“China represents the most significant geopolitical challenge facing the United States today: a country that has the intent and growing capacity to threaten our vision of a free, secure, and vigilant international order,” Blinken said a few days ago.

However, at a certain point in time, Beijing’s authoritarianism seems more suited to harsh regimes in the region than Washington’s democracy, comments a related article by Al Jazeera.

At the same time, Russia’s advances from the broader region add salt to the open wound of the United States, which now wants to send a message to the Middle East that its “patience is running out.”

Saying no to America has become a very popular attitude in the Middle East and is accelerating the decline of its power.

– # Driving view by @employee ⤵️ https://t.co/GFnO7vgfar

– Al Jazeera English (AJEnglish) June 6, 2023

American threats are empty

They have already warned the Gulf states that if they do not decide soon to participate in sanctions against Russia, they will face the wrath of the United States and the Group of Seven.

But in Saudi Arabia, it is clear that they are writing the American president in their oldest shoes, because they do not raise the price of oil to lower the price of its purchase, nor do they compensate for the effects of Western sanctions on Russia, nor do they do so. With Moscow to move away from the war in Ukraine.

Indeed, this … the middle finger of Saudi Arabia in Washington, as the post itself comments, has made Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman very popular in the wider region.

Only last year, Riyadh responded to US threats, on the one hand, by hosting the Chinese president for bilateral talks, and on the other hand, by restoring relations first with Iran and then with Syria.

Why not and … BRICS

This attitude towards defaming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not only related to the Kingdom, but is a regional phenomenon. To be safe, the United Arab Emirates is doing exactly the same, and it is also a traditional ally of the United States that is getting closer and closer to China, improving its strategic relationship with France and aligning itself with Iran, Russia and India.

And the news about the US running out of friends and allies in the broader region is getting worse every day, with trade between the Middle East and China for example increasing between 2000 and 20021 from 15.2 billion. to $284.3 billion dollars, when it remained with the US almost unchanged from $63.4 billion. dollars in 2020 to $98.5 billion last year.

In addition, six countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, have asked China to join the BRICS group, which is its own digital currency alongside Russia.

Without further ado than the above, it is understandable that the United States has had the Middle East in its pocket for 30 years. The question is whether they will succeed in getting it in the next 30 years. Analysts have serious doubts.