A new update for America's strategy in the Middle East.. What is the location of Yemen in it?
English - Tuesday 09 May 2023 الساعة 09:19 am
Al-Mocha, NewsYemen, exclusive:
After a period resembling mud stagnation at the bottom, the United States of America returns to fishing in the Middle East pool full of mud and treasures. During this period, China was able to sponsor a Saudi-Iranian rapprochement, whose fruits were the revival of regional diplomacy and the continuation of relative calm on the main battlefronts in Yemen, Syria and Libya. Except for the recent outbreak of war in Sudan. The Arab region is witnessing relative calm, which the residents of countries experiencing wars or turbulent political situations are optimistic about, as a basis for sustainable stability.
The United States of America was not absent from the region to be said to have returned. But during the past months, it seemed as if it was on a break to arrange its papers, which was revealed by Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security advisor, in an interview he made on May 4 during an event of the Washington Institute for Strategic Studies.
Sullivan, who headed to Saudi Arabia the next day, delivered a speech at the event outlining America's strategy in the Middle East for the next decade, which he described as "a decisive decade, perhaps not seen since the end of World War II. The terms of competition with great powers will be set and the terms of There is a great deal of room for dealing with common challenges, even as those challenges become more severe. At the outset of this "critical decade," Sullivan said that the decisions that the US administration will take "in the next two, three or four years will resonate over the next two, three or four decades."
Five basic elements
And after the National Security Adviser enumerated what he considered the achievements of President Biden's administration. From demarcating the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel, to establishing the armistice in Yemen (over a period of 14 months), and ending the war in Gaza. And “the rapprochement between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Israel, Qatar and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar,” and even the recent diplomatic rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran.” After this enumeration, Sullivan spoke about the United States’ strategy in the Middle East, indicating that it is based on five elements. Basically, he said, "the new work of the United States' participation in the Middle East" will be based on: "partnerships, deterrence, diplomacy and de-escalation, integration and values," detailing in his speech an explanation of each element separately.
Actually, Sullivan explained the five elements with examples of what President Biden's administration has done over the past two years, including returning the United States to negotiations over the Iranian nuclear issue after its withdrawal by former President Donald Trump's decision, and "opening Saudi and Omani airspace for civilian flights to and from Israel and Asia." Sponsoring the Negev conference, which he said "brought together last year the largest gathering of Israeli and Arab officials in decades to discuss cooperation on [multiple] issues from security to climate change to trade to education," and more. However, what is new in what Sullivan said is his focus on the Biden administration's intention to "deepen the Abraham Accords and form new alliances," providing a new acronym to call these alliances "I2U2." Which he said the world will hear more about as America moves forward with its new strategy.
What are I2U2 alliances?
According to what Sullivan said in the context of talking about these alliances, they include "a partnership with India, Israel, the United States and the United Arab Emirates." Pointing out that "its basic idea is to link South Asia with the Middle East to the United States," in ways that enhance America's economic technology and diplomacy. “We already have a number of projects in the pipeline and some exciting new steps that we look forward to taking on in the coming months.” Sullivan added, "We are looking for practical solutions to the problems that preoccupy the people of the region: water, space, health, food security, climate change and regional security."
In the context, he talked about his visit to Saudi Arabia (May 5, 2023), saying that his Emirati and Indian counterparts will come to Saudi Arabia to attend the meetings, "so that we can discuss new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf as well." Pointing to America's keenness to make the most of the "comprehensive economic partnership signed last year between India and the United Arab Emirates." The US National Security Adviser did not fail to mention the world in which the competition race is accelerating as a motive for this considered strategy, saying: “In a world in which great powers compete, in a world in which cross-border challenges accelerate. We must increasingly look to the region as a source of the types of partnerships that will help us solve problems.” The big game for the period ahead: Countries that can help us with diversified and flexible supply chains so that we are not dependent on any other country Countries that can help us make the transition to clean energy a success, both in terms of the stable supply of existing energy and in terms of the rapid and widespread deployment of new clean energy.
Yemen's location in this strategy
Arriving in his talk about the war in Yemen and the armistice, Jake Sullivan paused for more detail, describing Yemen as a place where two elements of US strategy interact: deterrence and diplomacy, and that each reinforces the other, especially in the last two years.
Sullivan recalled President Joe Biden's speech at the US State Department during the first days of his assumption of office, and his talk about ending the war in Yemen, and said that his administration worked to "prepare the conditions for a truce mediated by the United Nations, and encourage direct talks while maintaining pressure from sanctions on both the Houthis and their Iranian backers." . He continued, "We have worked to help Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates defend themselves against threats from Yemen and elsewhere while also refraining from supporting offensive operations, and increasing our embargo status against illegal shipments to Yemen."
While he touched on the ongoing negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, he said that the agenda of his visit to the Kingdom will include discussions about peace negotiations in the context of the efforts of the US envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, who preceded him to Saudi Arabia on May 1. Sullivan referred to what he called "the Special Counsel's diplomacy," which he said was "the basis for serious and active work by the United States and other close partners," and an important part of the deterrence and de-escalation strategy, as well as being "part of the broader idea that diplomacy and de-escalation are Primarily in the interest of a more stable region and in the interest of the United States."
In all, the United States of America will work through this strategy to consolidate its feet that were shaken in the region as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the increase in China’s economic and political activities, but it is clear that America reduced its political and military escalation during the Biden era in the Middle East during the last period, to return With a long-term strategy that was agreed upon - according to Sullivan - by the Democratic and Republican parties. Foremost among them is not allowing Iran to possess a nuclear weapon that threatens the region and American interests in it, and putting pressure on the countries of the region for more normalization with Israel, which Joe Biden does not hide his intention to work towards integrating it into its Arab surroundings. Therefore, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan did not forget to recall Biden's statement, in which he says: "Our commitment to the Middle East region is unwavering. Because the region is of vital importance to our common future and is deeply intertwined with American interests and those of our allies and partners."
