Saudi Crown Prince MBS Humiliates Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, by keeping Blinken waiting several hours for a meeting presumed to happen in the evening, but which the crown prince only showed up for the next morning.
The harm Joe Biden’s administration is doing to America’s influence around the world cannot be overstated.
The diplomatic front is maybe one of many ways that this obvious degradation shows itself, and it is by no means the only one.
One example is the vain attempt to pressure Hamas by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who traveled to Saudi Arabia.
A pro-Biden media site would report that the Secretary of State “met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for nearly an hour at the royal’s farm residence in the Riyadh area,” according to a US official.
According to Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, the world is tired of financing Ukraine as Western politicians’ focus is diverted by the impending elections and rising geopolitical tensions.
A lot of good ideas about some of the things we need to accomplish going forward, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.
Although it was impossible to persuade Arab allies to denounce Hamas, the Biden implosion of America’s credibility was notable for its blatant diplomatic snub.
According to The Washington Post:
“In Riyadh, the Saudi ruler kept Blinken waiting several hours for a meeting presumed to happen in the evening but which the crown prince only showed up for the next morning.
Once the meeting began, Mohammed ‘stressed’ the need to stop the military operations ‘that claimed the lives of innocent people’ — a reference to Israel’s offensive — and lift the ‘siege of Gaza’ that has left the Palestinian territory without water, electricity or fuel, according to the Saudi summary of the meeting.
The crown prince also called for a halt in the ‘current escalation’ in the conflict, a direct contradiction of U.S. policy, which has backed Israel to pursue its maximalist goal of eradicating Hamas.
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to its two holiest sites, is an influential voice in shaping Arab perceptions of the conflict. While Riyadh prizes its role as a defender of Palestinians, it views Hamas as a spoiler to greater regional integration, including the crown prince’s flirtations with normalizing relations with Israel.”
Even if Blinken’s greeting in Riyadh was unwelcoming, the public humiliation is another matter.
According to Business Insider:
“The Saudi position is in contrast to that taken by the Biden administration. Blinken’s attempts to find common ground with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, another US regional ally, also met with little success.
There were signs in recent weeks that Saudi Arabia and Israel were on the verge of a historic agreement, that would’ve seen relations between them normalized. Analysts believe that among Hamas’ core aims in launching the October 7 attacks was ruining the talks.
Saudi Arabia has long been among the US’ key regional allies, but in recent years its ruler has sought to steer a more independent course for the kingdom, forming closer ties with US rival China. Last year, a diplomatic spat erupted when the Saudis snubbed the Biden administration and refused to increase oil production.”