Biden Should Welcome the Middle East’s New Player: India
The South Asian giant is deepening ties to Israel and Gulf nations, and could provide a strong eastern anchor to the web of US security partnerships in the region.
Modi, visiting Yad Vashem in 2017, has drawn closer to Israel.
Photographer: Abir Sultan/AFP/Getty Images
Joe Biden has a familiar list of U.S. partners and allies to woo and admonish on his current trip to the Middle East: Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Gulf emirates. But there’s a new dance partner on his schedule he’d be wise not to ignore: India.
On Thursday, Biden will hold a virtual “I2U2” summit with Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates. This new grouping was formed last October when the four countries’ foreign ministers met in Israel and was promptly christened the “West Asian Quad” by the Indian press. Its importance has now been kicked up a notch by a leaders’ meeting.