Continued U.S. Support Is Necessary in Jordan

A new CAP report discusses how the United States should support Jordan's political and economic reform in the wake of the Arab uprisings and the Syrian civil war.

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Idea of the Day

Idea of the Day

Jordan sits at the heart of a region facing increasing turmoil. To the north, the civil war in Syria rages on unabated; so far, it has sent more than 600,000 Syrians into Jordan. The war in Syria has motivated Islamist extremists—some of whom are receiving financial, ideological, and political support from certain countries and private individuals in the Persian Gulf—to use Jordanian territory to recruit and send militants into battle against the Assad regime.

To the east, Iraq’s unresolved conflict is becoming increasingly intertwined with the Syrian civil war, adding to Jordan’s immediate security woes. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict—as well as the collapse of the latest round of peace talks—has contributed to a sense of uncertainty regarding Jordan’s long-term future. These unfavorable regional dynamics are straining Jordan’s already fragile economic, social, and political conditions.

For more on this topic, please see:

Jordan in the Eye of the Storm by Brian Katulis, Hardin Lang, and Mokhtar Awad

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