The Biden Administration announced in the third week of July that the U.S President was to host a virtual summit including officials from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and India. The group is known as I2U2, the “I2” for Israel and India, and the U2 for the U.S. and U.A.E. The meeting was held on Thursday, July 14th, as a four-way video conference between U.S. President Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and U.A.E. President Mohammed bin Zayed. According to comments from national security advisor Jake Sullivan, the meeting was expected to focus heavily on food security. 

During the conference, Indian Prime Minister Modi said that “it is clear that the vision and agenda of I2U2 are progressive and practical.” Looking specifically at Biden’s agenda, the New York Times reported that “I2U2 bolsters the United States’ efforts to contain China’s influence in Asia and the Middle East, reassure Middle Eastern leaders of Washington’s commitment to the region and establish better ties between its allies in different parts of the world.” 

The virtual meeting on Thursday is an important step in the development of the four countries’ relationships with each other, and for the future of the group as a whole. As Foreign Policy puts it, this call is “the biggest sign yet” of “sustained commitment.” Members of I2U2 have also brought attention to purposeful projects, including “joint investments” in six “mutually defined areas” of water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security, according to a statement from the government of India. As experts have also pointed out, the summit and future meetings of I2U2 also provide Biden and the United States with an opportunity to reconstruct its connections in the Middle East and surrounding areas, and perhaps a chance to repair relationships that were harmed during the Trump administration. By focusing on a variety of items such as food security, the Ukraine Crisis, and a joint renewable energy project, I2U2 appears to have the potential to make great strides on a global scale. However, this will require the countries to continue their commitments to the partnership. 

I2U2 was first announced to launch in October 2021, and is considered somewhat of a partner to The Quad – another four-way initiative with the United States and India, but with Australia and Japan. While some argue that I2U2 doesn’t have a clear unifying objective like The Quad shares, which is that Quad members want to work together to deal with Beijing, I2U2 still shares some common goals. Indian Prime Minister Modi commented in a recent press release that “each country…has Sherpa-level interactions regularly to discuss the possible areas of cooperation.” 

Biden commented during the meeting that I2U2 “can do a great deal if [they] stick together.” Ultimately, if I2U2 can maintain its connection and cooperation on its numerous goals and projects publicly shared this week, each country has the potential to benefit greatly from the initiative. This will also be an opportunity to emphasize a global message of cooperation.