In the Eye of the Storm

Jordan has tried to maintain a neutral position since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution—at least publicly. Its fear is that should Bashar Al-Assad weather the uprising, his government would retaliate against Jordanian backing of its opponents. But the Syrian crisis has already placed Jordan in the midst of the storm as the country struggles to tame a staggering budget deficit and a refugee crisis. There are roughly half a million Syrian refugees in Jordan, and this number could more tha...

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Jordan’s Monarch Makes Waves in The Atlantic

The Atlantic magazine’s recent profile of Jordan’s King Abdullah has embarrassed the royal court and unleashed a wave of criticism against the monarchy. Despite the embarrassment, Abdullah remains confident that his throne will not be undermined even if the eastern tribal leaders—the backbone of his regime and whom he referred to as “old dinosaurs” in the interview—were insulted. As soon as Jordanians got access to the Arabic translation of the article, the royal court issued ...

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