President Biden, fed up with his nose-diving approval ratings, wants to visit Saudi Arabia soon to request its crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, to bring oil and gas prices down for Americans.
However, experts believe the Saudi government is unlikely to entertain any request of the president. Biden could end up making a political gamble in visiting a country well-renowned for its fragile human rights designs.
Desperate Biden Ready to Beg Saudi Arabia to Decrease Oil Prices
One of the most prominent reasons for the low approval ratings of Biden and congressional Democrats is the surging gas prices, which are impacting average Americans the most.
Because of this, Biden is trying to connect with the most important Middle Eastern country in regulating oil prices, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is the second-largest oil producer in the world and the de facto head of the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Biden to visit Saudi Arabia next month seeking solutions as gas tops $5 per gallon: report https://t.co/vq8idtgtGm
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 12, 2022
Director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution, Samantha Gross, stated Saudi Arabia is in no position to release too much oil on Biden’s request.
So, even if the president convinces the prince to release the oil, it will not be a “win” for Americans in any case.
Joe Biden says he hasn't decided whether to visit Saudi Arabia, who he previously called "a pariah," to beg for more oil.
20 seconds later, he says, "It happens to be a larger meeting taking place in Saudi Arabia. That's the reason I'm going." pic.twitter.com/K4bK6eAZAV
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 13, 2022
In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, the US is struggling to maintain its cordial relations with Russia, as well as China, which are the third and fourth-largest oil manufacturers, respectively.
Biden’s plans to visit Saudi Arabia in July are made at a time when both Saudi Arabia and Russia decided to speed up their plan to increase oil production, which significantly decreased in the wake of the pandemic.
Strategic oil experts believe Saudi Arabia is unlikely to respond to Biden’s request since it is not planning to make any moves with the consent of OPEC, so unilateral action could be avoided.
As Russia is a closer ally of the Saudis, President Vladimir Putin is expected to stop Riyadh from taking any significant action to help Biden.
Even at a time when Saudi Arabia and UAE are revising their oil production, the spare capacity is limited, which would not satisfy Biden anyway, a strategic expert named Ben Cahill noted.
Biden is Underestimating Saudi’s Ability
Some experts are also accusing Biden of overestimating Saudi’s ability to control oil prices. According to the experts, no single country can cover up the loss, so Biden is relying on false calculations.
Biden’s forthcoming visit to Saudi Arabia seems like a political stunt, which is likely to give him another country to blame for the gas price hike.
Until now, Biden relied on the “Putin Price hike” to describe the surging oil prices, but after his visit to the kingdom, he is also likely to blame Mohammad Bin Salman for America’s misery.
This trip of Biden is also a political gamble. Saudi Arabia is involved in many human rights abuses, particularly in Yemen, so Biden’s trip to such a country will trigger progressive backlash against him.
