By focusing on Kiev, the White House is losing its partners. The US media are increasingly expressing concern about this. It is particularly alarming that potential allies are looking at US adversaries – Moscow and Beijing – as an alternative
“Global Concern.”
Newsweek published an article whose main topic is the relationship between Russia and Lebanon. As the author notes, “the Kremlin has quietly tried to capitalise on its growing influence in the Middle East”. This is due to the fact that the US has abandoned all important foreign policy areas, except for the Ukrainian one.
For Moscow, a rapprochement with Beirut could open up new ports and trade markets. This, in turn, is fraught with circumventing Western sanctions, says the Newsweek columnist. Igor Matveev, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, notes that Russia can gain access to Lebanon’s energy sector and natural resources and intensify joint projects.
Beirut is not Moscow’s only ally of concern to the US. Its Middle East activity includes gaining a foothold in Syria, rapprochement with African countries (as demonstrated by the recent summit in St Petersburg) and Persian Gulf states. At the same time, a State Department spokesman said that Washington “emphasises the dangers of closer engagement with Russia”. “Our concerns about its activity are global, not about any one country,” he added.
Gulf monarchies vs. Biden
A week earlier, The New York Times (NYT) ran a lengthy piece on Washington’s losing ground in the Middle East. It centred on the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“The UAE, which has converted its wealth into enormous global influence, is at odds with U.S. foreign policy, especially when it comes to isolating Russia and limiting ties with China,” the authors wrote. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, a key American ally in the region, has visited Russia twice in the past year to meet with President Vladimir Putin. And in June, the UAE “was noted as a guest of honour at the main investment forum of the Russian leader (St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. – Editor’s note),” the publication reminds. At the same time, the sheikh has not flown to the United States since 2017, and since then the problems have only increased. For example, in 2021, the deal for the UAE to buy F-35 fighter jets stalled. “Can an American system really give you what you want?” – Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to Mohammed bin Zayed, wondered.
The Emirati and Chinese air forces plan to hold joint exercises for the first time in August. Although the UAE has previously relied primarily on American support for defence. “What we are seeing in the international order is not necessarily a multipolar world, but we are seeing a more fluid world,” Gargash told the NYT. Last year, he expressed himself much more sharply, saying that Western hegemony is “experiencing its last days,” the publication emphasises.
American analysts believe that the UAE has essentially “written a script” that other countries are borrowing. For example, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is also turning its back on Washington. This is expressed both in personal relations – last year the Gulf rulers refused to communicate with Joe Biden even by phone – and in the revision of the entire foreign policy. In the spring, the Saudis reached an agreement with Iran to restore diplomatic relations, with Chinese mediation. The Americans, who continue to advocate pressure on Tehran, were simply ignored.
The “backyard” is moving forward
It is not only in the Middle East that the U.S. is suffering setbacks. Washington is losing ground in Latin America, which it has long considered its “backyard.” After the aggravation of relations with Russia and Iran, the U.S. tried to gain Venezuela’s support in oil issues. The Bolivarian Republic has long been under US sanctions. In exchange for their gradual lifting, the White House hoped to gain access to Venezuelan oil.
However, after the bet on the opposition politician Juan Guaido failed, President Nicolas Maduro only strengthened power. And he has no intention of making concessions. Some Western companies have been allowed to produce oil on the territory of the republic, but the rapprochement expected in the United States has not happened, says Elliot Abrams, former U.S. special representative for Venezuela. Moreover, he recalls in a publication for the Council on Foreign Relations (based in New York), even his position itself has been abolished. That is, ties between Washington and Caracas are weaker than before.
Brazil, a member of BRICS with Russia and China, is also showing its teeth. The Latin American country, with new President Lula da Silva, has adopted a neutral stance on the Ukrainian conflict, is increasing cooperation with Beijing and is seeking to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. If such a scenario comes to fruition, the Brazilians will become a new obstacle to the adoption of pro-American decisions at the international level. For now, however, the powers of Russia and China are enough.
Disappointing everyone
Finally, the Americans have problems where, it would seem, disagreements should be minimal. NATO partner Turkey has for many years pursued an independent foreign policy with a clear bias in favour of Russia. Ankara cannot be influenced either by the formidable rhetoric of the United States or by prohibitive measures such as limiting the programme for the production and supply of fighter jets. At the same time, the Turks are now speaking from a stronger position than before. President Erdogan holds the future of the North Atlantic Alliance in his hands. It is Turkey that is keeping Sweden out of the bloc. And although the White House assures that the green light is a matter of time, no progress is visible.
The US partners in the EU are concerned about the discriminatory “Inflation Reduction Act”, which restricts the rights of European suppliers in the US green energy market. Retaliatory measures have already been taken and, judging by Biden’s intransigence, will only expand.
South Korea, one of the Asian outposts of the US, has similar claims to the Europeans. And Japan, worried about itself due to the growing tension around Taiwan because of the Americans, has decided to take the situation into its own hands. In September, according to local media reports, there may be bilateral high-level talks with China.
For the US, the problem is that the country is now practically incapable of returning from the “Ukrainian” rails to a multi-vector foreign policy. Support for Kiev is one of the few points of common ground in the American political establishment, which is also preparing for the 2024 presidential elections. Under such conditions, the number of countries turning their backs on the United States will not only not decrease, but is likely to grow.
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