Biden, Trump and bin Salman

While Americans will vote in less than a month, President Joe Biden must redouble his words and actions on the international stage. If we generally consider that foreign policy has little effect on the outcome of the vote, then this time domestic policy and foreign policy can be closely linked.

Saudi humiliation

Of all the international issues, the ones that can immediately harm 46^e The president, without a doubt, is this decision by Saudi Arabia to support OPEC’s decision to cut oil production by two million barrels per day.

The image that immediately comes to mind is that of candidate Biden, who said he would turn Saudi Arabia into a pariah state and claimed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. do you remember? Americans, yes.

The president has since made a controversial visit to Saudi Arabia and exchanged a fist bump I noticed with Mohammed bin Salman. It seems that the initial humiliation was not enough and now Biden must keep an eye on rising gas prices before the election.

Moreover, this decision should allow Russia to earn additional income, which it badly needs to continue fighting in Ukraine. In the short term, the United States is losing face. In the medium and long term, Saudi Arabia is behaving dangerously by playing into the hands of Russia or risking the stability of the military alliance with the United States.

Mohammed bin Salman prefers Trump

If Saudi Arabia appears to be reaching out to Vladimir Putin, it appears that Mohammed bin Salman has borrowed a page from the Russian president’s playbook. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the decline in oil production coincides with the extension of the midterm elections.

Why insist on this synchronization? Because it seems clear that the crown prince preferred to negotiate with Donald Trump and that by interfering in the election campaign, he hopes the Republicans will always be ahead45^e The president, regaining control of both houses, may pave the way for Trump’s return to the presidency.

In the near future, Joe Biden will likely have to bite the bullet. Whether cutting US oil exports or using the Strategic Reserve, experts say the risks outweigh the benefits. The same applies to lifting sanctions on Iran or Venezuela.

There appears to be one proposal on the table that is slightly less risky (and still is!): pass a law in Congress that would authorize the United States to take legal action against the oil cartels.

These cartels can be accused of violating antitrust laws, but Democrats and Republicans must agree in both houses. Do you think the Republican Party will be in a hurry to pass this bill before the election?