As Joe Biden heads to the Middle East amidst a series of domestic problems, will he recover or is his presidency in terminal decline?
Presidential visits to the land of dessert and oil have come in all different shapes and sizes over the years.
Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Ibn Saud back in 1945, with Richard Nixon following his lead in 1974, becoming the first sitting U-S leader to visit both Israel and the Arab states.
Right now, President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East could be seen as proof he still cares about the region.
As he wrote in the Washington Post:
A more secure and integrated Middle East benefits Americans in many ways. Its waterways are essential to global trade and the supply chains we rely on. Its energy resources are vital for mitigating the impact on global supplies of Russia’s war in Ukraine. And a region that’s coming together through diplomacy and cooperation — rather than coming apart through conflict — is less likely to give rise to violent extremism that threatens our homeland or new wars that could place new burdens on U.S. military forces and their families.
Avoiding that scenario is of paramount importance to me. I’ll pursue diplomacy intensely — including through face-to-face meetings — to achieve our goals.
Foreign agenda
But what a time to be out of the country, as the White House is caught up in its domestic agenda, and war continues in Europe, not to mention the pandemic.
The last two decades were all about the Middle East, and Joe Biden wants to show they’re not forgotten, despite America’s diminishing presence.
As they say – when the cat’s away the mice play… and the US learned that lesson before.
Biden’s approval rating remains at an all-time low, and there are real fears for the Democrats ahead of the midterms.
So just how much trouble is Joe Biden in? And will his foreign agenda help save his approval ratings?
