ICYMI: Rubio Urges President Biden to Strengthen Ties with Bahrain

Op-Ed

Why the U.S. Should Strengthen Ties with Bahrain
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
March 3, 2022
Medium

…The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, is visiting the U.S. this week to discuss the possibility of closer cooperation between his nation and ours. The Biden Administration must capitalize on this opportunity to develop this important alliance and build on Bahrain's implementation of the Abraham Accords….

President Biden should work to strengthen economic relations between America and Bahrain and support Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 plan. Bahrainis want to wean their economy off of outsized public sector involvement, which means there is fertile ground for engagement with the U.S. private sector. This would produce more jobs and higher wages in both of our countries….

It is especially important that we promote commercial investment in Bahrain's energy sector. The Biden Administration refuses to finance international fossil fuel projects, but that only cedes influence to Vladimir Putin, who holds Europe hostage with Russia's energy supplies, and anti-American regimes like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)....

Our allies and partners need to understand the risks associated with getting too close to Beijing. They also need viable alternatives to Chinese exploitation. Providing those alternatives is one meaningful way the U.S. can push back against the CCP's plan to remake the international order in its own image….

President Biden should offer Bahrain a real economic partnership with the U.S. to strengthen our valuable alliance, and he should communicate that we look forward to working together to make meaningful progress with Bahrain on all issues, including values, human rights, and upholding the rule of law.

Source