The incoming Biden administration will likely change U.S. Middle East policy marginally, not dramatically. The limitations of the Biden administration’s ability to alter policy are a function of the U.S. public’s increasing reticence to support U.S. military interventions or the expenditure of significant U.S. diplomatic and economic resources in the region| The Soufan Center
Qatar’s main antagonist within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) - the UAE - grabbed headlines and renewed Trump administration affection with its August decision, joined by Bahrain, to normalize relations with Israel as part of the ‘Abraham Accords.’| The Soufan Center
The eleven-day conflict in May between Israel and the Palestinians exposed weaknesses in the regional strategy of key Arab states. The conflict was initially sparked by protests tied to evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem and a heavy-handed law enforcement response| The Soufan Center
One week after taking office, Biden-Harris administration officials announced that they were reviewing the $23 billion sale of 50 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter stealth aircraft and 18 armed MQ-9 Reaper drones to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the nearly $500 million sale of precision-guided munitions to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia| The Soufan Center
Qaboos bin Sa’id Al Said, who ruled the Sultanate of Oman, a key U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf since 1970, died in January after a long illness and was succeeded by his cousin, Sultan Haythim bin Tariq Al Said| The Soufan Center
Three and a half years after Saudi Arabia launched a blockade against Qatar, Kuwait’s foreign minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah announced that Riyadh would reopen its land, air, and sea borders with Doha| The Soufan Center
At the White House on September 15, 2020, the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain signed the “Abraham Accords”, a joint statement pledging the normalization of relations between the signing parties| The Soufan Center