Amid his highly publicised visit to Saudi Arabia, US President Joe Biden said he raised the murder of Jamal Khashoggi with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "I said, very straightforwardly, for an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am," Biden said. "I'll always stand up for our values." Khashoggi, a journalist with The Washington Post, was reportedly murdered by Saudi agents in Istanbul.
One of the most closely watched encounters in Biden's Middle East trip was his meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's crown prince and presumed heir to the throne currently held by King Salman.
Biden has been sharply critical of Saudi Arabia, even saying during the presidential campaign that it should be treated like a pariah for human rights abuses. His administration released a declassified intelligence report saying MBS likely approved the 2018 murder of Khashoggi.
However, the shifting politics of energy have led Biden to change course, especially as American drivers face high costs at the gas pump. The global price spike could also make it more difficult for Biden to convince allies to keep pressuring Russia with sanctions as the war in Ukraine grinds on.
Even if Biden's visit goes smoothly, there may not be any immediate relief because oil production targets are governed by an agreement reached among the members of OPEC+, a cartel that includes Saudi Arabia and Russia. And while the current agreement expires in September, concern about a potential worldwide recession could make oil producers wary about pumping more.
Biden made only a glancing reference to working with Saudi Arabia to help stabilise oil markets when he defended his plan to visit the kingdom in an op-ed in The Washington Post, the same newspaper that used to publish Khashoggi's writing.
He promised to continue raising human rights issues, and he said he wants to reorient but not rupture" the US relationship with Saudi Arabia.
One factor in seeking a detente in the Saudi relationship is growing concern in the administration that the Saudis could move closer to China and Russia amid strains with the United States.
