Saudi Arabia is a crucial, longtime ally of the United States. Most Americans understand that; that is understood in the US Congress, it's also understood in the Biden administration that they made some mistakes in dealing with the kingdom. In our democracy, we can elect people with various points of view. Some people have strengths, and some have weaknesses; I think the Biden administration did not understand this relationship and said some things early on, that hurt this relationship. And I'm afraid they probably said some things that shouldn't have been said during the President's trip to Saudi Arabia. And we've seen the result with OPEC+ lowering oil production, just a month before elections, but this is a crucial relationship. And I hope President Biden sees these mistakes and will take steps to fix them.
There are many dimensions to this decision. If it was political, I believe there are many other reasons. OPEC plus is concerned that the US does not have refining capacity. It's concerning that American oil producers are simply churning out the oil to keep the price low for political reasons. OPEC+ members also are concerned about how the oil market is being manipulated by the US tapping into its strategic Petroleum Reserve. This is a question of interests, and Saudi Arabia and other members of the OPEC cartel, and they're looking after their interests. I don't think they're trying to hurt the United States. But I believe that Saudi Arabia and other members were trying to send a message to the United States and to the Biden administration. Because there are several problems in this relationship that need to be fixed, not just concerning Iran, but other elements about mutual respect and getting along, that message was delivered loud and clear.
It is worth recognizing the US, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf nations have their own interests and they will sometimes conflict. Certainly, there was a conflict during the Trump administration when it vastly increased US oil production. But the Trump administration coupled that with diplomacy to try to keep relations as cordial as possible.
There are also serious security concerns concerning Iran. We should be promoting the nations of the region working together, and we should be promoting the Abraham Accords. I would like to see Saudi Arabia join the Abraham accords. It is revolutionary, that there are such good relationships right now between Israel and Saudi Arabia. I think the nations of the Arab states in the Middle East recognize now that the enemy is Iran and not Israel, and they need to work together on that basis.
And what is interesting about that decision, it puts the lie to the allegation that the Saudi government participated in this OPEC plus the decrease in oil production because they were siding with Russia. I don't think that's true. I don't think the Saudis like the war in Ukraine at all. The Saudis made this decision for domestic political and economic reasons, as well as for security reasons. But having said that, it is interesting that since the Biden administration came to power, Saudi Arabia has been talking to the Russians. And the reason that they're doing that is that they are looking out for their interests and are concerned about the US-Saudi relationship. They're going to look at other suitors, other nations to look for their interests. Foreign Minister Lavrov has been to Saudi Arabia several times, and a security agreement was signed between Russia and Saudi Arabia last August. This is something U.S. officials must recognize and address. Saudi Arabia is a U.S. crucial ally. We don't like them getting too close to Russia.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Frederick H. Fleitz, Jr. is a former U.S. government official, serving since January 2022 as Vice Chairman of the America First Policy Institute Center for American Security.He previously served as the Chief of Staff and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council from May through October 2018, during the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Fleitz is a former CIA analyst, and news commentator. He tweets under @FredFleitz