Editor's note: U.S. President Joe Biden travels to the Middle East from July 13 to 16, making stops in Israel, the West Bank and then Saudi Arabia. What difference could this trip make in United States' relations with Middle Eastern countries? What's the likely global impact? Adriel Kasonta, a London-based foreign affairs analyst, the founder of AK Consultancy and former chairman of the International Affairs Committee at Bow Group, shares his insight on Biden's visit to the Middle East. The opinions expressed in the video are his own and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

CGTN: What's the likely global impact of U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East?

Kasonta: I think that the trip that is portrayed as a trip to the Middle East is just a cover-up for the real intention of Joe Biden, which is basically to meet with Saudi Arabia, to convince Saudi Arabia to increase the output of the oil production. The real purpose and the timing of the trip made by Joe Biden is pretty clear. We know that the midterm elections in the United States are coming and President Biden's ratings in a poll is very low and it is because of the high inflation in the country, it is also due the high gasoline prices. 

And unfortunately, it (Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia) will further diminish President Joe Biden's standing within his own party, which is strongly against this visit and giving any concessions to Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed bin Salman specifically, but also it will cite a signal to the world that the United States is not so principled in their foreign policy. Because if you call a country like Saudi Arabia, as President Joe Biden did during his presidential campaign, "a pariah state," which is an insult. 

And when the conflict in Ukraine broke out, you come to conclusion that really and truly need to go to the Saudi Arabia and give a concession to the country. You're not sticking to your own guns. So, your inconsistency will backfire within your own Democratic Party and also be weaponized and used by the Republicans. So, this is my conclusion that this (trip) will not have any significant impact, it will only backfire and will impact the global standing of the United States, and most importantly of President Joe Biden.

CGTN: How will Biden's visit to Israel and the West Bank likely affect the current situation between Israelis and Palestinians?

Kasonta: The United States is unwilling to antagonize Israel. And we know that Israel has a very hard stance vis-a-vis Palestinian people. And they are expanding the settlements towards the West Bank etc. So, it just will not have any impact. This is a frozen conflict. But I'm not sure whether the United States is truly interested in improving the conditions of Palestinian people or mediate a diplomatic solution to the Palestinian cause. I think that China and other international players have done much more by attempting at least to bring both sides to the table. And I think that the United States' policy vis-a-vis the Palestinian people was more detrimental than helpful.

First of all, we have to bear in mind that this is not the core point of Joe Biden's trip to the Middle East, the Palestinian cause and Israeli affairs are just a cover-up for the meeting with the Saudi Prince and persuading Saudi Arabia to increase the oil output.

CGTN: Some view Biden's visit as an effort to curb Russia's influence in the region. How is the trip likely to pan out?

Kasonta: I think that we've clearly seen from this three months so far that Joe Biden and his administration were unsuccessful in persuading the Global South countries to share the same view as the Global North or the West. These countries don't see the conflict in Ukraine as a conflict between Ukraine and Russia. These countries perceive this conflict, and rightly so, as simply a proxy war between NATO and Russia.

In 2014, I was in Ukraine, and I've seen with my own eyes how the United States was meddling in the situation, pushing protesters to go against the current president at that moment. So, answering your question, I'm not sure that President Biden will succeed. Because if you want to stop the conflict, you are not sending weapons, you are asking both sides to sit at the table. But if you supply weapons to the region, the natural outcome will be that this conflict will be prolonged. And what we're seeing is that the NATO, and the United States specifically, are just supplying more weapons. And people around the world just seeing this.

And leaders in the Middle East are perfectly aware what is happening on the ground. They are unwilling to take sides in this conflict, that's one thing. And second thing, they are afraid or not willing to antagonize Russia because they see and know that Russia, both with China and other BRICS countries, are forming something else. They are trying to move from the unipolar world where the United States is the hegemon, towards a multipolar world where all the countries through the diplomatic solutions and conversation and respect for all the countries' respective governments and solutions that the countries and their citizens embrace in their respective countries to form a democratic world order where every single voice and country is equally respected rather than having someone who is imposing its own will on other countries. 

So, I think that the Middle Eastern countries, they want to participate in this shift. They want to participate in this more equal world order rather than being in this outdated and dying sort of hegemonic unipolar world.

Interviewer: Zhao Jingzhu

Managing editor: Zhao Jingzhu

Video editor: Liu Shasha

Senior Producer: Bi Jianlu

Supervisor: Mei Yan

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