On May 16th, U.S. President Joe Biden sent a high-powered delegation to the United Arab Emirates to offer condolences after the death of its late ruler. The U.S. delegation, headed by Vice President Kamala Harris, included many of Biden’s top national security aides, such as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency.
The United States is not the only world leader to pay respects to the new leader of the U.A.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. Many believe this sudden surge of visitors is in direct relation to the newfound oil crisis caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Given Europe’s recent oil shortages and the spike in gasoline prices throughout the United States, it is apparent that the United States has intentions of negotiating deals with the U.A.E., and other Gulf allies, in an attempt to alleviate the shortages. Unfortunately, this may not be an easy task, given America’s “absence of high-level visits in the aftermath of Houthi attacks,” which Omer Taspinar, a policy expert at the Brookings Institution think tank, named as a previous Emirati frustration with United States foreign diplomacy. This frustration may be responsible for the size and seniority of the U.S. delegation, which Sheikh Mohammed and the U.A.E. leadership are likely to greatly appreciate.
Luckily for the United States, the U.A.E. is open to diplomatic ties between the regions and, according to a U.A.E. official, “wants a closer and more clearly defined relationship with the U.S.”
The U.A.E. has a history of human rights violations and proudly disrespects the rights of journalists, queer people, and women. However, a region of the world may be without oil within the next few months. Drastic measures must be taken, and establishing better diplomatic ties may prove to bring significant benefit in light of the refusal to rely on Russian exports. Unfortunately, switching suppliers will come with some challenges. The Gulf states have remained neutral on the Ukraine conflict, and the U.A.E. has gone so far as to resist increasing its oil exports to tame crude prices, causing worldwide inflation. Overcoming their ideological differences may be the best way for both regions to alleviate the economic damages caused by the recent oil crisis.
