Photo: Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace
By CJ Werleman / Byline Times
President Joe Biden was elected on a mandate to restore American democratic values at home and rebuild a “rules-based-order” abroad, but his visit to Saudi Arabia, where he legitimised the rule of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with a fist bump, betrayed American voters and global human rights defenders.

 

Biden has sold weapons to Egypt, despite promising on the 2020 campaign trail he wouldn’t. He cites Amnesty International when condemning China for its human rights abuses but refutes the UK-based human rights organisation when it accuses Israel of operating a system of apartheid in the Palestinian Territories.

Biden’s foreign policy is as transactional in nature as that of his predecessor – Donald J. Trump. And it appears a transactional approach to foreign policy has trickled down from the Oval Office to the Democratic Party caucus.

Last week, Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced an amendment to the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) to foster deepening military ties between the US and India, and to protect the Indian Government from sanctions over its continued military partnership with Russia under the provisions of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

This story was originally published in bylinetimes.com. Read the full story here