By Geoff LaMear
President Joe Biden is entering office as the country is beset with a host of domestic problems, from the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine to civil unrest. But Biden's foreign policy doesn't have to play second fiddle to these domestic challenges.
In the Middle East in particular, the Biden administration can advance US interests in a short time frame with minimal political challenges.
Most critical is undoing the final actions of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in listing the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group fighting Saudi Arabia, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The problem with this designation is that it mismatches rhetoric and reality. The US can view the Houthis as malign actors while acknowledging that this designation does not promote US interests or regional stability.
This piece was originally published in Business Insider on January 26, 2021. Read more HERE.