The most circulated visual from Mr Joe Biden's tour of the Middle East, his first as president of the United States, was the fist bump with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - a climbdown by candidate Biden, who vowed during the 2020 presidential campaign to make the oil-rich state an international "pariah" following the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The fist-bump moment overshadowed the remarkable fact that it was the first time a US president flew directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia. It has taken Mr Biden nearly 18 months to get to the Middle East, with trips to Europe and East Asia getting priority.
Clearly, Mr Biden proceeded with the trip in an act of realpolitik and to signal a reset in relations. The Saudis are way too critical a regional player to be ignored.
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