Assad visited the UAE for the first time since 2011, when a civil war broke in the country and major regional players turned their backs on the Syrian president. The US’ primary goal in the Syrian crisis was to overthrow Assad (a “dictator”, as they have labeled him) and install a pro-US government, though officially, Washington claimed it was determined to combat terrorists in the region. By 2016, Daesh* and other radicals took control of major territorial strongholds in Syria and nearby Iraq. The US role in combatting terrorists has been considered controversial.

The Biden administration has recently received a slap in the face from his Saudi and Emirati partners, who refused to take calls from US president as he was seeking to urge them to boost oil production amid skyrocketing crude prices, sources told media. The prices have been on the rise as US Democrats banned imports of oil and gas from Russia, which, in fact, have now become a headache for American consumers.