As the Biden administration starts to gravitate towards a realist Middle East strategy, it would be helpful to keep these lessons in mind. Though the president’s trip to the region will do little for him, it is too soon to write it off as a failure for American policy in the Middle East or the U.S.-Saudi alliance. The success of the visit will depend on how the next OPEC+ meeting on August 3 bears out, as well as the aftermath of Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to the kingdom. Although the kingdom’s follow-through is important, so are the Americans’ next steps. Hopefully, the Democrats have learned their lesson from their failed Saudi policy and will continue to foster a steadier relationship with the kingdom. Though there is little doubt that the U.S.-Saudi partnership is on better footing now compared to where it was several months ago, when the Saudis reportedly refused to even pick up Biden’s phone calls, overcoming the remaining unease and mistrust between the two sides is a work in progress. Nevertheless, doing so will ultimately be in both of their interests.

Niranjan Shankar is a software engineer and independent writer based in New Jersey focusing on foreign policy and history. His other writings have appeared in Quillette, The Bulwark, and The Geopolitics. Follow him on Twitter @NiranjanShan13.

Image: Reuters.