Biden admin’s annual national security brief prioritizes Russia, China over Mideast

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has released its annually mandated national security strategy, with winning the competition over rival China and constraining Russia at the top of the agenda, while the Middle East is expectedly relegated toward the bottom.

Releasing the strategy delayed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House says the 2020s will be a “decisive decade for America and the world,” both for reducing conflict and confronting the key shared threat of climate change.

“We will prioritize maintaining an enduring competitive edge over the PRC while constraining a still profoundly dangerous Russia,” the strategy says, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

Israel is not mentioned by name in the strategy, which is broader in scope. It does state, however, that “a more integrated Middle East that empowers our allies and partners will advance regional peace and prosperity, while reducing the resource demands the region makes on the United States over the long term.”

This principle was stressed yesterday by Biden officials who touted the US-brokered maritime agreement between Israel and Lebanon as part of the administration’s effort to create a more integrated region. The officials also highlighted the recent US-brokered Red Sea island transfer from Egypt to Saudi Arabia, which led Riyadh to allow Israeli flights to use its airspace as another example of the strategy producing results.