News - Middle East: US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, a country he once vowed to make a “pariah”, has again laid bare the duplicity of Washington’s foreign policy and human rights rhetoric.

The visit, which has now been postponed until July, has already stirred up a hornet’s nest, with human rights campaigners across the world urging Biden to call off the trip.

In an open letter on Thursday, a coalition of rights groups called on the US president not to go ahead with the trip in the absence of human rights commitments by Riyadh, warning it could encourage “further violations.”

“Efforts to repair the US relationship with the government of Saudi Arabia without a genuine commitment to prioritize human rights are not only a betrayal of your campaign promises but will likely embolden the crown prince to commit further violations of international human rights and humanitarian law,” reads the letter by 13 NGOs.

“We urge your administration to secure genuine progress on human rights before acting in a manner that would bolster the status of the crown prince and his government.”

The letter has been signed by groups including Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Freedom House, The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, and Project on Middle East Democracy, among others. 

Biden earlier this month confirmed he was planning a trip to Riyadh — a long-time US ally in the Arab world – in a startling volte-face that many have linked to Washington’s energy needs in the wake of the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.

Pertinently, Biden had vowed to make Saudi Arabia a pariah state during his campaign for the presidency in late 2020, in contrast to his Republican rival Donald Trump’s appeasement of Saudis.