Analysis
The important counternarrative on Biden’s Middle East trip
Symbolism matters, but progress matters more — and there was progress.
A visit of consequence….
Let’s start here: Joe Biden’s recent trip to the Middle East was among the most consequential US presidential visits to the region in years.
All presidential trips are designed to deliver both tangible and intangible gains, often on complex or sensitive issues that require the ultimate decision-maker to weigh in.
But they seldom resolve issues like the Yemen civil war or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as desirable as that might be.
