President Biden, declaring that "America is back," delivered his first diplomatic address as president Thursday. He outlined several policies that reverse those of the Trump administration, and one that also breaks with an Obama administration policy that he helped shape, the New York Times reports. Biden, calling Saudi Arabia's involvement in Yemen's civil war a "humanitarian and strategic catastrophe," announced that the US will end its support for the Saudi offensive, including arms sales tied to that offensive. "This war must end," said Biden, who has appointed diplomat Timothy Lenderking to negotiate a peace deal. Barack Obama offered US support when Saudi Arabia intervened against Houthi rebels in 2015. More:
- Kingdom isn't being totally cut off. Biden said Saudi Arabia would "pay the price" for human rights abuses, but also said he would "continue to support and help Saudi Arabia defend its sovereignty" with the sale of the defensive weapons it uses to safeguard itself from Iran. Steven Cook, a Middle East researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations think-tank, tells the AP that promising to help the kingdom boost its defenses could provide "face-saving cover" for the Saudis to exit the Yemen conflict, and convince them that "to declare victory and go home is really the only way."