Biden fails to secure oil and regional security commitments at Arab summit

published 17 July 2022

President Biden on Saturday told a summit of Arab leaders that the United States "is invested in building a positive future of the region, in partnership with all of you." However, Reuters reported, Biden failed to secure commitments for increased oil production or for a regional security alliance — including Israel — to counter the threat of Iran.

"Saudi Arabia, Washington's most important Arab ally, poured cold water on U.S. hopes" following a dustup over human rights, Reuters reports. During a meeting on Friday, Biden confronted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman about the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which bin Salman likely approved. In response, the crown prince brought up the abuse of prisoners that took place at Abu Ghraib prison during the U.S. war in Iraq.

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Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.