Snag in the $23 Billion Arms Deal with the UAE Spells a Dilemma for Biden

A snag in the sale of high-end American-made arms to the United Arab Emirates is emblematic of a larger trend in the Mideast and beyond: the more Washington signals reluctance to deliver for our allies, the more they’ll turn to our global adversaries for help.Abu Dhabi this week suspended a $23 billion deal to purchase F35 jets and advanced drones in a dispute over the UAE’s ties with China. The snag, first reported by the Wall Street Journal Tuesday,could prove to be a negotiating tactic. Yet in a region where owning cutting edge American military technology represents prestige and strength, it certainly is a bold gambit.The UAE’s de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, known as MBZ, is highly esteemed in the region. Where the Emirates under his leadership go, Arab leaders follow. Breaking with decades-old Arab rejectionism, MBZ signed on to the Abraham Accords.The Accords were brokered by President Trump and negotiated on the American side by the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and aide Avi Berkowitz. The American team sweetened the pot with a side deal to sell, in the F35, America’s most advanced fighter jet and other sophisticated hardware to the UAE.At first the Israelis, who are part of the original group of countries that developed parts of the F35 technology together with America’s Lockheed Martin, were wary. Selling the advanced aircrafts to an Arab country, they feared, would erode Israel’s regional military edge, an unwritten foundation of Jerusalem’s alliance with America.The benefits of having open relations with Arab countries, however, proved too good to pass over. Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco soon joined the UAE in signing onto the Abraham Accords. Saudi Arabia and others have long rumored to be on the verge of following as well.On Monday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel culminated the historic deal by visiting MBZ at Abu Dhabi. He was received with all the pomp afforded to an a-list ally, complete with an iconic photo of the kippah-donning Mr. Bennett conferring with his Keffiyeh-wearing host.The Abraham Accords most prominent feature was forging a regional alliance to blunt Iran’s expansion in the region. The Islamic Republic’s aggression in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq rattled Gulf leaders and convinced them to join arms with Israel. America’s maximum pressure policy on Tehran was at the heart of the Accords.Yet, this year America reversed that policy. President Biden is attempting to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, as American ties with long-time allies cool off. While Iran’s Yemeni proxies, the Houthis, bombard Saudi civilian targets almost daily, Washington denies Riyadh’s plea to replenish its dwindling cache of American-made missile defense systems.Add to that the disastrous surrender of Afghanistan; the inaction as Iranian-backed Iraqi militias attack American bases; the reluctance on Washington’s part to supply offensive arms to Ukraine; and the fuzzy messaging on Taiwan. No wonder astute players like MBZ are rethinking their reliance on America.The most glaring part of the official readouts following the meeting between MBZ and Mr. Bennett is the word missing from them: Iran. Although the topic clearly arose, even dominated the private talk, it seemed impolite to mention it in public.Meanwhile, MBZ’s brother and top aide, Tahnoun Bin Zaid, recently visited Tehran for consultations. The UAE has long maintained commercial ties with its eastern neighbor, but now, like others in the region, it increasingly seeks a thaw in political enmities with Iran. The Saudis have conducted a well-publicized regional meeting recently with Iranian officials at Baghdad. The diplomacy is continuing this week at Amman.Russia’s President Putin and and Communist China’s party boss, Xi Jinping, are also making inroads to Arab countries considered staunch American allies, cutting deals and intensifying cooperation. Further afield, Mr. Putin visited India recently, selling Russian S400 anti-aircraft systems to the world’s largest democracy.Which brings us back to the F35 deal. China’s Huawei has built the UAE’s telecommunication infrastructure. Presumably, that allows Beijing to use its technology to spy on America’s most advanced military secrets. Although the F35 system codes are blocked for the end user, and Lockheed Martin can identify any attempt to tinker with them, America has reportedly demanded additional restrictions on the UAE to counter Chinese spying.It was those extra conditions that prompted Abu Dhabi to suspend the deal, at least for now. No one can blame Washington for playing hardball with allies. Blocking Chinese spying, Russian meddling, or Iran aggression, are worthy goals. Then again, too, can we blame allies for hedging their bets when we turn our back on them while we are wooing their enemies?________Twitter @bennyavni

Snag in the $23 Billion Arms Deal with the UAE Spells a Dilemma for Biden

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