– We just don’t think that dictators should be invited. The president supports the principle, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said ahead of the Los Angeles summit, which begins Thursday.

That was the explanation why the three leaders did not accept the meeting invitation. Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are all ruled by left-wing radical leaders. Cuba is a one-party state and hits hard at all opposition, Nicaragua and Venezuela have slumped in the democracy index for years. The United States promotes exclusion as an effort to maintain democracy. The awards included the absence of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador – who boycotted the gathering in protest.

The principles that Jean-Pierre spoke of, however, are accused of not applying equally to everyone.

[ Joe Biden: – Dette er verdens farligste mann ]

Promised to treat Saudi Arabia as a pariah state

On the other side of the world, Biden is preparing for a visit to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who in practice rules the oil-rich nation. The prince, usually referred to simply as MBS, rules a country where there are no elections and where women have so few rights that they were recently allowed to drive cars. The country also violates a number of other norms considered fundamental by the West.

US intelligence believes MBS was the architect behind the animal killings, and the 2018 breakup of opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi was a resident of the United States and a regular contributor to the Washington Post.

The assassination has soured US relations with Saudi Arabia for several years, and during the 2020 presidential election campaign, Biden vowed to treat the country as a pariah state. Now he will meet the alleged culprit.

[ Biden: Trump-tilhengere er ekstreme ]

Not new

– If Biden came to the conclusion that it was in the US interest to meet with a foreign leader, and such a meeting could produce results, then he did, Jean-Pierre explained.

He added that Saudi Arabia has been a strategic partner to the United States for nearly 80 years.

The mixed signals caused a stir, especially given that Biden has often argued that his presidency was a turning point in the global struggle between democracy and increasingly authoritarian states. However, that is nothing new.

[ Joe Biden har verken blitt samlende eller populær i sitt første år som president ]

– Our bastard

In 1939, then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt reportedly stated that Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza “may be a jerk, but he is a jerk to us.”

Different anecdotal versions attribute the comments to various US presidents and various dictators. However, the point is always the same: The United States likes to cover its nose with one hand while the other takes an unpleasant ally. US support for right-wing dictators – both military and civilian – in Latin America during the Cold War was well known.

While much of Europe froze Spain under Francisco Franco, the anti-communist dictator eventually gained very broad cooperation with the United States, and the country also hesitated for a long time to join the boycott of the apartheid state of South Africa.

[ – USA er et dysfunksjonelt demokrati  ]

– Min’s favorite dictator

In Asia, communism was fought in China, North Korea, and North Vietnam by supporting authoritarian regimes in Taiwan, South Korea, and South Vietnam. Earlier this month, Biden voted to exclude Myanmar’s military dictatorship from the ASEAN summit, but did not hesitate to talk to the leaders of Cambodia and Vietnam.

Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, took a hard line against China, but was also open to working with Vladimir Putin on Russia. His first trip abroad as president went to Saudi Arabia, among other places, and other dictators in the Middle East are on good terms with Trump as well.

– Where is my favorite dictator, Trump shouted in 2019, while waiting for the president of Egypt, coup maker Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The case continues during the video

Cynic self-interest

For political science researcher Robert Guttman at Johns Hopkins University, the reason for consistently inconsistent attitudes is very simple: cynical self-interest.

In Biden’s case, this includes the midterm elections in November. Democrats face heavy losses, meaning that Biden is desperately trying to lower gasoline prices – meaning he will have to talk to Saudi Arabia. He also has no place open to Cuba, if he is to win over Latin American voters in the 2024 presidential election – especially in the state’s largest, Florida.

Guttman said the United States was trying to support democracy – something that is especially illustrated at this time by its massive support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. However, there are exceptions.

– We talk about great ideals, but we are more pragmatic in reality. We need oil, and we support people who need oil. We bend our ideals for the natural resources we need, and this is especially true in election campaigns, say researchers.

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