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From Energy to Security: Did Biden Get Everything He Wanted From Saudi Arabia?_我的网站

律政英雄

A |     The energy issue appeared to be the real reason behind Biden's visit to the Saudi kingdom, which he promised to turn into a "pariah state" on the campaign trail in 2019-2020. Since the beginning of 2021, prices for oil have soared more than two-fold in the US, prompting the Biden administration to seek ways to convince the Saudis and their OPEC allies to step up crude production in order to bring energy costs down.,"The oil policy in Saudi Arabia pretty much is set," said Dr. Ahmed Al Ibrahim, a Riyadh-based political analyst. "They are monitoring the market and they are floating the market with supply chains consistently with the demand. They cannot overdo that because it does not help the market and the OPEC+ members. And also Saudi Arabia is burdened by contracts where they cannot really actually go by themselves and take the decision. They are part of an OPEC+ and these countries, they said they are very efficient and the energy prices are very good.",The political scientist highlighted that "there is no margin of complimenting the United States just because they needed more oil in the market for whatever reason." Moreover, according to the professor, the oil market is already saturated with oil and further extraction may only disrupt the balance. On June 30, officials from OPEC, Russia and other oil-producing countries confirmed their decision taken in May to increase output by 648,000 barrels per day in August.,"I think most of the OPEC+ countries, they've reached almost the maximum output," explained Al Ibrahim, adding that he does not see a way to considerably step up oil extraction in the foreseeable future.,Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) stated on July 16 that the only thing Riyadh can do is boost crude production from 10 million barrels per day to 13 million per day by 2027, adding that there is no additional capacity beyond that. MBS also highlighted that unified efforts are required to keep the global economy afloat, and that unrealistic policies regarding energy sources could instigate further inflation.,Bilateral Ties, Defense & Energy: Key Takeaways From Biden's Saudi Arabia Visit16 July, 14:40 GMT,Middle Eastern Players’ Security Concerns,Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are seeking the US’ concrete commitment to improve mutual ties. During the July 16 Jeddah Summit for Security and Development, which brought together the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) alongside Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, Biden vowed that the US would remain fully engaged in the Middle East. The US president particularly said that the US would not "leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran.","We will have to take from President Biden's word that America is not turning its back on the region, that America will defend its interests in the region," said Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, professor of political science at Emirates University and author of several books, including The Gulf Moment. "However, the future will reveal to what extent that is true.",Riyadh previously voiced concerns over the Biden administration putting US-Saudi arms deals on pause, as well as the White House's talks over the resumption of the Iran nuclear deal. In addition to that, it turned out in June 2021 that the Pentagon had pulled approximately eight Patriot anti-missile batteries from Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system was also withdrawn from Saudi Arabia at that time, according to the Wall Street Journal.,The professor drew attention to the fact that Washington has recently shifted its focus to Europe and to the Indo-Pacific from the Middle East. According to Abdulla, the Biden administration appears to be preoccupied with Ukraine and its rivalry with China, which is currently emerging as an economic superpower. "So whether America will pay attention to the Middle East in light of all of this preoccupation, that is something we will just have to watch for the days and months and years to come," he noted.,Dr. Ahmed Al Ibrahim echoes the Emirati professor's concerns: while the US and especially its military and intelligence community remain an important ally for Saudi Arabia, Riyadh cannot rely on the rapidly changing mood of the Democratic establishment, citing Biden's recent U-turn.,"Now, Biden is saying all that stuff," Al Ibrahim said. "Let's see if this administration will keep their part of the bargain or in three years another president comes and he decides to basically wipe up everything Biden said or actually recognize the region even more. Saudi Arabia is injured by the 18 months that this administration has ruptured the relationship with [Riyadh]. And we need to be shown some real solid commitment from the US in order for Saudi Arabia to recover from the mistrust and misunderstanding by this administration that did to us in the past 18 months.",Given that, neither Saudi Arabia nor Egypt, Israel or Iraq are going "to put all their eggs in one basket," Al Ibrahim pointed out, in an apparent reference to the potential diversification of diplomatic ties.,Earlier this week, Purnima Anand, the president of the BRICS International Forum, told Russian newspaper Izvestia that Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are preparing to formally apply for membership in BRICS, an acronym for five emerging economies, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.,Global Power Shifting Away From West, While BRICS Expanding & Increasing Legitimacy14 July, 16:45 GMT,Washington's Politicization of Khashoggi Case,It appears that US President Joe Biden could not help but raise the issue of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi once again during his trip, even though the Saudi kingdom conducted an extensive investigation into the crime and prosecuted eight culprits. Khashoggi's son Salah later announced that the Saudi judiciary had been fair to his family and that "justice has been achieved".,According to the Gulf observers, Biden's latest remark that he considers the crown prince responsible for the tragedy was primarily aimed at his electoral base ahead of the November midterm elections.,"President Biden, even when he is here in the region, has his mind in Washington and is speaking to an audience in America," said Abdulla. "And probably he wants to capitalize on his appearance in Washington, in Riyadh and in Jeddah. And he knows it is a large segment in his own party, the ones to the left listen to him very carefully, evaluating him.",The crown prince's answer was not long in coming: MBS told the US president that Saudi Arabia has dealt with the issue and that the country's justices had a final say.,Riyadh is well aware that the Khashoggi issue is highly politicized by Washington and is resolutely withstanding the White House's allegations, noted Al Ibrahim. In response to the Biden administration's accusations MBS cited the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse committed by the US military and CIA personnel in Iraq in the early 2000s, stressing that rogue incidents took place under the US watch too. Riyadh also drew attention to the fact that in the same year that Khashoggi was murdered, over 248 journalists were killed across the world and nobody is talking about them, Al Ibrahim concluded.,"Did Biden get everything he wanted from this [Jeddah] meeting?" asks Abdulla. "I think if he goes away with the view that he is from now on dealing with a new Gulf that deserves respect and new Gulf leaders who are now not necessarily the same as the old leaders. They have a new agenda. They have a new view. They have their own new vision.",The only question is whether Washington has understood this and will reconcile itself with this new reality, the professor noted.。

B |     

国际足联主席因凡蒂诺说,2026美加墨世界杯,将是“最具包容性”的一届。

C | 言犹在耳,一道由美国政府设置的行政壁垒——针对特定国家的“签证保证金”制度,正将多个参赛国球队、球迷置于尴尬境地,那句“最具包容性”的官方外宣,似乎成为了某种反讽。根据TA报道,在特朗普政府的签证保证金计划中,新增的受限制国家恰好包含了本届世界杯的参赛国:阿尔及利亚、突尼斯、佛得角、塞内加尔和科特迪瓦。其中,阿尔及利亚、佛得角、塞内加尔和科特迪瓦的公民自2026年1月21日起已受此政策约束,而针对突尼斯的规定将于4月2日生效。而且,这份签证金国家名单还在不断扩大,3月19日刚从之前的38个国家扩大为50个国家。所谓签证保证金,简单说就是,想来美国看世界杯,先交一笔“人身押金”,等你看完球离境时再退给你。具体来说,该计划要求名单内国家的商务(B-1)和旅游(B-2)签证申请者,在获批前需缴纳每人5000美元(儿童)、1万或1万5千美元(成人)不等的保证金。

D | 若申请人按期离境并遵守签证条款,保证金可退还。美国国务院的解释是,此举基于“一系列移民风险因素”,如高逾期居留率、信息审查缺陷等,旨在“保护美国边境”并“有效阻止非法移民”。这一举措的思路是,对那些打着看球旗号来美国的潜在非法移民,这一保证金足以成为一道限制门槛。但对于只想看球的普通球迷来说,保证金制度将给他们带来额外的经济负担。保证金是按人头收取的,不因家庭或团队旅行而减免,携带孩子、人数较多的大家庭,可能将面临几万甚至十几万美元的临时资金冻结。加上世界杯期间本就高昂的机票、门票与住宿费用,经济负担很大,这道签证金屏障,实质上可能将相当一部分普通球迷拒之门外。更为滑稽的是,该签证金制度,目前并未开设特殊豁免通道,也就是说,名单里世界杯参赛国的球员、教练、足协官员、球队工作人员、赞助商等,想来参赛,也要先交这笔“人身押金”。有消息称,国际足联正私下与美国政府交涉,希望通过发放官方邀请函的方式,为参赛球员、教练、工作人员等争取豁免,但目前该交涉前景未明。这意味着,历史上首次闯入世界杯的佛得角等国的球员,可能须先支付巨额“押金”,才能踏上梦想中的世界杯赛场。

E | 这无疑是对体育公平竞争精神的直接挑战,变相为来自特定国家的球队设置了额外的、与经济能力挂钩的参赛门槛。FIFA主席因凡蒂诺此前多次宣称,本届美加墨世界杯将是“最具包容性”的一届,但现在看美国的这波打脸操作,因凡蒂诺多少会有些尴尬。另外一个问题是,即使交了签证保证金,球迷能否拿到多次入境签证,依然是个问题。美国国务院倾向于向名单内国家公民发放单次入境签证,而非多次入境签证。

F | 然而,由于世界杯赛程横跨美、加、墨三国,像科特迪瓦、塞内加尔等队的比赛地涉及美国与加拿大,球员和随队球迷可能需要多次出入美国国境。只发单次签证,将带来巨大的操作困难和不确定性,进一步凸显了这一政策与大型国际赛事实际需求之间的脱节。美国方面的说法是,在领事官员最终决定签发单次还是多次入境签证时,会考虑申请人的“个人情况”。这意味着,有些球迷面临只能拿到一次入境签证、跨境看一场球就无法再次入境的困境,这对他们的世界杯计划显然是一个重大扰乱。已经有美国旅游业人士称,若政府不立即改革入境政策,简化流程、取消额外费用,美国在十年内最重要的全球曝光以及旅游提振机会,效果将会大打折扣。2025年,入境美国的国际游客在减少,美国国家旅游办公室(NTTO)的数据显示,全球很多国家和地区的赴美游客量都在减少,包括欧洲、非洲、亚洲和加勒比地区,加拿大、法国、中国、德国等主要客源国降幅显著,只有中东和中美洲部分地区的赴美旅行保持增长势头。按照美国旅游业的预计,世界杯可以吸引约100万国际游客赴美,但特朗普政府的一系列政策,包括签证保证金、250美元的“签证诚信费”、上调ESTA费用、加强审查等,已对美国的入境旅游业造成了打击。

G | 在世界杯这个全球数十亿目光聚焦的舞台上,如因签证问题导致部分国家球队参赛受阻、球迷无法到场,也将是极具破坏性的公关灾难。为避免这场“交押金”参赛、看球的尴尬,国际足联依然在进行斡旋,希望美国政府在政策执行上留出特殊操作空间,世界也在观望,美国是选择在最后时刻调整政策,以兑现“包容的体育盛会”承诺,还是坚持壁垒,在赢得一场边境管控象征性胜利的同时,输掉更多……(二头)

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Published on:01:03:23


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