Joseph R. Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States today, 20 January 2021 and Kamala D. Harris was sworn as Vice President. This inauguration took place against the backdrop of a tense political and social climate in America with COVID-19 deaths reaching 400,000, a second impeachment of the now-former President Donald Trump, the violent storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters, and recent Black Lives Matter Protests against racial injustice. Observers in the region are paying particular attention to the potential impact Biden’s presidency will have on the region regarding US tensions with Iran, its policy on the Arab-Israeli conflict, relations with Gulf States and Israel, as well as its handling of human rights issues. Biden, who is the second Catholic President of the United States, was sworn in by the also Catholic Chief Justice John Roberts, and Harris, who is the first woman, first person Black person, and first person of South Asian descent to hold the office of the Vice President, was sworn in by the first Latina Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The inauguration was sparsely attended due to health risks and…
