U.S. President Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia will reinforce the importance of the bilateral relationship to Washington’s energy and regional security goals. But it will also showcase the limits of U.S. influence in the Middle East as regional governments protect their economic interests and diversify their alliances. President Biden will travel to Saudi Arabia on July 15-16, where he will attend a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Jeddah after flying directly from Israel -- a historic route made possible by warming Saudi-Israeli ties. Biden will also visit the Palestinian territories and hold meetings with other Arab Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the GCC summit. But the U.S. president’s stop in Saudi Arabia -- where he’ll meet with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- is likely the key focus of his Middle East tour, as the White House tries to enlist Saudi support to...
