Oasis or Mirage? Jordan’s Unlikely Stability in a Changing Middle East

Skyline of Amman, Jordan, Nov. 22, 2013 (photo by Flickr user mahmoodphoto licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license).

By Curtis R. Ryan, Jan. 15, 2015

The uprisings beginning in late 2010, known as the Arab Spring, shook the Middle East to its foundations. Yet the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan appeared to be a virtual oasis of calm in the midst of turmoil. In a volatile neighborhood, Jordanian stability remains nothing short of remarkable. But is Jordan an oasis or a mirage?

Neither characterization seems entirely accurate: Jordan’s stability and security are not figments of the imagination, especially considering the revolutions, civil wars and endemic terrorism that seem to have afflicted most of the country’s neighbors. Yet the calm may not be sustainable, as Jordan confronts its own continuing struggles over reform and change; faces seemingly countless threats in terms of its internal and external security; and attempts to deal with its own economic crises and challenging energy needs.

But even as Jordan confronts its domestic challenges, its regional setting presents an even deeper challenge. Jordan’s political geography, in short, seems to make every problem more difficult. . . . READ THE RESThttp://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/14867/oasis-or-mirage-jordan-s-unlikely-stability-in-a-changing-middle-east?utm_source=Weekly+Headlines&utm_campaign=15e1e7e4d5-free-to-weekly-020915&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6e36cc98fd-15e1e7e4d5-62711729