Biden plans to break with his own precedent as he moves closer to buying oil from Saudi Arabia
President Biden is expected to extend an olive branch to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after promising to make him a "pariah" and working to isolate the Saudi regime for months.
On Monday, the White House confirmed that Biden is planning to visit the oil-rich nation this summer, marking the culmination of an 18-month standoff between Biden and the crown prince. Biden is trying to wind up back in the crown prince's good graces as gas prices soar amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Insider News reported that attempts by U.S. officials to convince the Saudis to increase their oil production have thus far been unsuccessful. Reportedly, the crown prince has repeatedly ignored phone calls from Biden when the president has sought to discuss issues of oil availability.
Displaying how vulnerable and dependent the U.S. is on foreign oil, Biden recently directly asked the crown prince to increase Saudi Arabia's oil output.
The Biden administration has previously made an active attempt at keeping the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at arm's length as the president refused to meet with the crown prince for months. The Biden administration may have even issued a personal offense to the crown prince when it said that Biden should deal directly with the crown prince's father.
The U.S. also has a history of sanctioning Saudi officials. Following the circulation of a declassified intelligence report regarding the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Central Intelligence Agency concluded that Khashoggi's murder was likely ordered by the crown prince.
Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia signals that it is no longer tenable for the Biden administration to adamantly oppose nations that could help alleviate domestic policy woes.
Adam Ereli, a former U.S. ambassador to Bahrain, said, "Do you hold a relationship hostage to human-rights concerns or you can move forward while not abandoning your moral high ground? In his mind, Biden can move forward."
Despite receiving heavy scrutiny from lawmakers and domestic activists, Biden and the White House insist that any meeting between Biden and the crown prince would serve the immediate interests of the U.S.
Last Friday, Biden said, "Look, I'm not going to change my view on human rights. But as president of the United States, my job is to bring peace if I can."
Buckle up: 'Get ready for $6 a gallon' gas, says former US diplomat to the Middle East
Moms filling up their minivans today are experiencing some serious sticker shock.
Contractors working on a job site with any distance at all from the home office are going to eat some serious travel expenses if they didn't build updated gas and travel costs into their bids.
Drivers and truckers delivering goods to grocery stores, grains to ports, or timber to plants are paying through the nose for diesel to ship what Americans need and want (and they aren't just going to eat the massive spike in fuel prices).
But the news gets worse: If you thought gas was expensive already, just wait. One expert with experience in the Middle East is warning Americans to get ready for $6 per gallon.
David Rundell, a onetime U.S. diplomat in oil-producing nations, told Fortune that the Russian-Ukraine conflict, coupled with our deteriorating relations with Saudi Arabia, spells doom for U.S. consumers' pocketbooks at the pump.
Rundell, who spent three decades as a U.S. diplomat in such oil-producing countries as Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Tunisia, told the magazine that the U.S. put itself behind the eight ball when it comes to negotiating to get the House of Saud to get more oil flowing.
"Russia and Saudi Arabia are the world’s two largest oil exporters. If we had good relations with Saudi Arabia, they would have stepped in to help as they have done many times in the past,” Rundell told Fortune.
The former diplomat, who is now a partner at Arabia Analytica, a consulting firm focused on the Middle East, added that "our relationship with Saudi leaders continues to worsen. So, get ready for $6 a gallon."
Rundell issued his warning as Americans saw gas prices hit an all-time high of $4.17 on Tuesday, the outlet said. The price is 11 cents per gallon more than it was the day before and 55 cents higher than just a week ago.
His warning also came before President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the U.S. would bar imports of Russian oil and gas.
During his announcement, Biden told the nation that gas prices are "going to go up further."
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