Reporting from inside the Middle East, I can confirm that the long-awaited visit of President Biden to the region, last week, was successful beyond expectations. To compensate for his eighteen months of absence, Biden has successfully hit open more than one box on his first Middle East tour to show that the United States is still the most important partner to the countries of the region. Before accusing me of exaggeration, try to see the full picture after turning down the loud noises aroused by biased media – including the pro-Russia news platforms that have been targeting the Arabic speaking audience for a while, as well as the American and western media, which unfairly serves the polarized positions of the far right or the far left.

First and foremost, by having the courage to admit that his administration’s initial policy “to pivot away from the Middle East had been a mistake,” President Biden restored, in a heartbeat, the glorious image of the United States in the hearts and minds of the people of the region, especially the youth who still admire the American values of democracy and liberalism and still aspire to copy them to their own countries. For the past six years, the absence of the democratic America that we know, and the rise of the Russian and Chinese influence on the region as a result of this absence, have killed the momentum of democratization that over-swept the region a decade ago. Biden’s successful homecoming to the region, last week, paves the way for the return of the issues of human rights, civil freedoms, and democracy back to the forefront.

That is, I believe, is America’s biggest win from Biden’s Middle East tour. Also, this is the best practical response to those who claim that Biden is abandoning human rights to please the Arab leaders. Contrary to the claims, the new relationships that Biden has built with Arab leaders will enable him to work better with them on improving human rights conditions and taking actual, rather than artificial, steps towards allowing democratization to progress in their countries. Indeed, Biden is a democratic president, which makes questioning his unconditional commitment to human rights and democratization a silly joke.

“I know that there are many who disagree with my decision to travel to Saudi Arabia. My views on human rights are clear and long-standing, and fundamental freedoms are always on the agenda when I travel abroad, as they will be during this trip;” wrote Biden in an opinion article, published in the Washington Post one week before coming to the Middle East.

The far leftist American voters, who comprise the majority of Biden’s electoral constituency, have been very critical to Biden’s visit to the Middle East, since the moment he announced the intention to make it happen. Some of them went as far as describing Biden’s willingness to go to Saudi Arabia and particularly meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, as a “betrayal.” Sadly, they lobbied to keep the U.S. Administration aloof from the Middle East for whole eighteen months, wasting a lot of opportunities of fruitful cooperation with the region, for the good of the U.S. and the entire world. Such groups are ridiculously blinded by a theoretic rhetoric that is too idealist and too detached from the reality of the Middle East.

Yet, the good news is that President Biden and his team have, finally, decided to shake off this unprofitable approach towards the countries of the region, and rather focus on re-engaging and re-collaborating. “From the start, my aim was to reorient – but not rupture – relations with [Saudi Arabia] that’s been a strategic partner for 80 years;” wrote Biden in the Washington Post op-ed.

Another successful hit by U.S. President Biden was effectively laying a solid foundation for the ‘personal diplomacy’ dynamic that works perfectly with the mindset of the leaders of the region, especially the Arabs. The global energy and food crises, the threat of Iran on Arabs and Israel, and the U.S. rivalry with Russia and China, must have been unavoidable topics on the agenda of the GCC+3 Summit, in Jeddah. However, it was clear that Biden’s main goal from the visit was to regain the trust of the regional leaders in his administration, and thus win them to his country’s side, so the west can benefit from what they can offer to solve the current world troubles, especially the soaring energy crisis. That was, particularly, clear in the friendly one-on-one conversations that Biden convened with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Egypt, Israel, and even the Palestinians.

In his speech at the GCC+3 Summit, President Biden highlighted that the United States will continue to engage as the most important partner to the Middle East. “As the world grows more competitive and the challenges we face more complex, it is only becoming clearer to me that – how closely interwoven America’s interests are with the successes of the Middle East;” Biden emphasized to the participants of the GCC+3 Summit. “We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran. And we’ll seek to build on this moment with active, principled American leadership.”

Biden’s Middle East tour has left behind much positive energy and optimism. The United States has always been the closest and most trusted partner to the states and the peoples of the Middle East. Personally, I am so delighted to see the United States coming back on the right track in terms with its relationship with the region. I am sure there are many people who share the same sentiments in Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, and elsewhere. After eighteen months of complaining about the unjustifiable absence of the U.S. administration, today we can finally say to the United States that we know and love: Welcome back!

BY: Dalia Ziada