“Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. have deepened cooperation with both Russia and China out of necessity, not preference. Should the Biden administration renew its commitment to regional defense by publicly affirming a strategic alliance, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi will revert to more-cooperative ties with Washington, including on oil prices, at the expense of Moscow and Beijing.”

–Firas Maksad, adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School for International Affairs and a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, writing in the Wall Street Journal. [WSJ]