Old Uncle Joe has finally chosen to speak up about the next logical steps for America in the Middle East as of this past Saturday when he stated that the United States will “not walk away” from the area.
While making an appearance to speak at the summit for the Gulf Cooperation Council — which is a group that represents Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — Biden stated to the gathered Middle Eastern leadership that despite the fact that there were currently no American soldiers taking part in the day to day warfare, the United States will still be involved with the region’s affairs.
“Let me state clearly that the United States is going to remain an active, engaged partner in the Middle East,” expressed Biden in his statements. “As the world grows more competitive and the challenges we face more complex, it is only becoming clearer to me … how closely interwoven America’s interests are with the successes of the Middle East. We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran.”
The United States spent well over $800 billion on fighting a conflict in Iraq over the years between 2003-2011 in order to dismantle the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, as reported by the Council on Foreign Relations, with well over 4,500 Americans and 100,000 Iraqis dying over the course of the conflict. Just last year, the United States ended its invasion of Afghanistan, which took place from 2001-2021 and cost a total of $2.3 trillion.
“I am proud to be able to say that the era of land wars in the region — wars involving huge numbers of American forces — is not underway,” explained Biden. “But we maintain both the capacity and the absolute determination to suppress the terrorist threat wherever we find it. We’ve demonstrated that this year — eliminating the Emir of ISIS on a daring operation, and just this week, taking out another key leader of ISIS.”
Biden also highlighted the extreme need to “ensure adequate supplies” of energy “to meet global needs.” Though he did not make mention of any kind to oil, most people seem to think that the output of the key commodity was a major factor in Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia. “Energy producers have already increased production,” stated Biden.
Back in early June, the national average for gas prices broke the $5.00 per gallon level before dropping slightly to the $4.55 per gallon level as of this past Saturday, as reported by AAA.
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