Biden’s Trip to the Middle East: Objectives and Potential Outcomes

The panel, convened by Arab Center Washington DC and moderated by ACW Executive Director Khalil E. Jahshan, focused on "Biden’s Trip to the Middle East: Objectives and Potential Outcomes." Experts were Sarah Leah Whitson, Trita Parsi, Cinzia Bianco, and Zaha Hassan. They characterized President Biden’s 2022 visit to the Middle East as a regressive "summit for autocracy" that prioritized transactional politics over human rights and strategic stability. Panelists argued that the trip effectively rehabilitated authoritarian leaders, such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while failing to achieve its stated goals of lowering oil prices or countering Russian and Chinese influence. They contended that Biden's embrace of a regional security alliance—focused on containing Iran and expanding the Abraham Accords—entrenches sectarian conflict and ignores the reality that Gulf states continue to maintain diverse global partnerships.

Crucially, the speakers emphasized that the trip fundamentally marginalized Palestinian rights, replacing meaningful diplomacy with "economic palliatives" and symbolic aid. By signing the "Jerusalem Declaration" and failing to demand accountability for the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the administration was seen as cementing Israeli annexation and validating the "Middle East without Palestine" model. Ultimately, the panel concluded that the visit reflected a deeply inconsistent US foreign policy that favors short-term political "box-checking" over the long-term pursuit of justice and genuine peace in the region.