The crown prince is unlikely to get involved in a real investigation of the Khashoggi case or commitments to human rights. An open letter from 13 human rights organizations to Biden ahead of the visit said: “The Crown Prince’s government continues to arrest, torture and arbitrarily execute scores of people.” The organizations warned that the visit could encourage MbS to commit “further violations of international human rights”. Human rights activist Abdullah Alaoudh wrote on Twitter: “As Saudi activists who have been harmed by MbS, we feel betrayed by Biden.”
The US President is under considerable pressure to deliver on the Middle East visit and at least take some of the wind out of the sails of his critics. What are the prospects for that? Commenting on the visit, Foreign Policy magazine wrote: “With few exceptions, the Middle East has become a place where the ideas of US presidents, especially the big ones, are buried.”