Assad visited the UAE for the first time since 2011, when a civil war broke out in the country and major regional players turned their backs on the Syrian president. America's primary goal in the Syrian crisis was to overthrow Assad (a "dictator", as they have labelled 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 combating terrorists has been considered controversial.
The Biden administration recently received a slap in the face from his Saudi and Emirati partners, who refused to take calls from the US president as he was seeking to urge them to boost oil production amid skyrocketing crude prices, sources told the media. Prices have been on the rise as the administration banned imports of oil and gas from Russia, which, in fact, have now become a headache for American consumers.