Attack in Iraq reflects Biden’s Saudi problem

President Joe Biden campaigned on ending his predecessor’s “dangerous blank check” to Saudi Arabia, vowing to hold Riyadh responsible for human rights abuses and end U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.

But just four days after Biden took office, the four-star general in charge of U.S. forces in the Middle East traveled to the Kingdom, where he announced a basing agreement that expands military cooperation between the two nations.

The tension is emerging as the Pentagon, at Biden’s direction, undertakes a review of whether changes need to be made to U.S. military deployments worldwide, with an eye toward countering the growing threat from China. The review, while still in its initial stages, is likely to set off a new struggle for limited resources among the regional military leaders.

Source Link: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/16/iraq-joe-biden-saudi-arabia-469162