During his trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia this week, U.S. President Joe Biden will seek to reassure long-time partners that the United States remains committed to the region’s stability and security. But the elephant in the room is the fact that almost no one will believe him.
The cumulative damage done during more than a decade of presidents from both parties pivoting out of the Middle East has been too great. Simply showing up won’t be nearly enough to stop the accelerating rot that has taken root in the U.S.-led security order that has helped underwrite the region’s stability for most of the past half century. If Biden truly aspires to break the dynamic of eroding U.S. credibility and deterrence, he’ll need to go well beyond photo-ops and the happy talk of his recent Washington Post op-ed and make clear that his visit marks the start of a more fundamental shift in…
