Change in the stance of Middle Eastern countries is a result of mistrust in the Biden administration, claims analyst Gonul Tol

Nicosia: – The administration of US President Joe Biden has changed its approach for cooperation with Middle Eastern countries. The Biden administration is pushing for a nuclear deal with Iran. Besides, it is making efforts to reduce its military presence in the region. The Middle Eastern states have become cautioned by this and thus, have changed their policy stance. Analyst Gonul Tol pointed out that countries in the region are forgetting their old enmities and focusing on improving mutual relations.

Gonul Tol, director of the think tank, Middle East Institute’s Centre for Turkish Studies, said distrust of the Middle Eastern countries regarding the US Biden administration had increased. Gonul claimed that the reckless withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan had rocked the confidence of these countries in the region about the US role in the Middle East. Therefore, the Middle Eastern countries are worried that they will lose the protective shield of the United States soon.

Against this background, the Middle Eastern states have prioritised increasing cooperation and reducing the number of hostile countries, leaving aside their enmity with their neighbours and other countries in the region. Gonul cited a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed for it. Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has lifted sanctions on Qatar, imposed over the past four years. He also reconciled with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Gonul cited that the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates had visited Turkey to improve relations with Erdogan.

Gonul claims that distrust of the Biden administration has led to the unification of Arab allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey. He also said that while the cooperation was growing, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain were trying to curb Iranian influence.