Jordan's Europe tour: a strategic safety net
last updated: 2 h ago
Jordan's recent royal tour of France and the Czech Republic was more than a diplomatic gesture toward Europe. According to political and strategic analysts, it reflects a broader Jordanian effort to restructure the kingdom's network of partnerships at a moment when regional power balances are shifting rapidly.اضافة اعلان
Speaking to Al Ghad, the analysts said Jordan's aim is not to replace existing alliances but to construct a multi-level 'strategic safety net' that gives the kingdom broader options in security, technology, economics and politics - and strengthens its capacity to manage crises before their consequences spread across its borders.
The opening toward Europe, the analysts said, rests on a formula that goes beyond politics to the building of mutual interests. It draws on Europe's geographic proximity, its economic and political weight, and the accumulated trust in Jordan's role within a turbulent region.
Potential gains, they noted, extend well beyond security and defence into investment, energy, water, trade and industry. European engagement also gives Jordan greater influence in discussions about the region's future and stability.
For its part, Europe views Jordanian stability as part of its own interests, given that regional crises in the Middle East bear directly on European security and stability.
On the security dimension, the analysts said the moves toward France and the Czech Republic carry a clear signal of intent to diversify sources of defence cooperation - from equipment and training to knowledge-sharing, planning and technology transfer.
The partnership with France carries a political and security dimension by virtue of France's engagement in regional files, while the Czech Republic opens space for cooperation in defence and technology industries - reinforcing the principle that 'security cannot be separated from technology, industry and economics'.
Political analyst Dr. Munther Al-Hawarat told Al Ghad that the recent moves toward France and the Czech Republic fit within a Jordanian orientation toward diversifying strategic partnerships, and do not represent an alternative to existing alliances. Jordan, he said, is working to 'add layers of alliance to protect Jordanian national security'.
Broadening Jordan's political and security room for manoeuvre reduces dependence on any single international track, Al-Hawarat said, particularly given a regional environment that is 'highly turbulent and volatile', with clear prospects of shifting power centres.
On France specifically, Al-Hawarat said the visit came in the context of the Aqaba meetings and support for the Lebanese army ahead of a donors' conference, but also carried a wider dimension: deepening defence and security cooperation in ways that could enhance Jordanian military and strategic capabilities.
Coordinating with France matters too because of France's interest in Syria and Lebanon - two countries directly linked to regional and Jordanian security, he said. Cooperation could open the way for supporting central state authority and strengthening armed forces in both countries, with positive effects on Jordanian security interests, given that Syria is a neighbouring country and Lebanon remains a point of regional tension.
On the Czech partnership, Al-Hawarat pointed to the country's importance in the defence and military industries, saying this creates opportunities for cooperation in military industry and training, alongside trade, energy and water, and 'opens a new gateway from Jordan' to broader fields of cooperation.
Al-Hawarat stressed that the royal role remains central to this process, through the deployment of international confidence in Jordan's position and in the role it plays in the region. The kingdom's ability - despite being surrounded by various tensions - to help produce balances that lead toward peace has, he said, reinforced 'Jordan's credibility and respect at regional and global level'.
He said Jordan is seeking to translate that confidence in its political role into partnerships that serve its economic and strategic interests, strengthen its standing as a stable and balanced state, and allow it to act as a channel of dialogue between Europe and the Arab world.
Al-Hawarat emphasised that Jordan is 'not looking for an alternative axis' but is building a 'strategic safety net' by expanding its partnership network - a course that can deliver defensive and technical capabilities, political support for its regional positions, and economic and investment opportunities.
To sustain those outcomes, he said the royal effort needs to be given institutional and bureaucratic form through the relevant institutions in Jordan and its partner countries, so that political movement translates into practical, lasting cooperation across multiple fields.
Dr. Badr Al-Madi, professor of political science at the German Jordanian University, told Al Ghad that Jordan's recent moves - including those of His Majesty the King - form part of a continuous assessment of the regional and global situation, and that Jordan is persistently working to build new frameworks for its external relations and to expand areas of trade, industrial, economic and political cooperation.
Al-Madi said the opening toward Europe rests on an important geographic, economic and political factor: Europe is 'very close to the region', and is closely tied to Jordanian trade and industry, allowing Jordan to diversify its markets and economic relationships.
This policy has helped build 'distinguished relations with Europe', he said, pointing to European confidence in Jordan's political, economic and commercial output.
Jordan has managed to present itself in Europe differently from many regional states, Al-Madi added - as a stable country capable of 'reproducing itself in a volatile and unstable region' and of maintaining its stability amid regional transformations. That context, he said, helps explain part of the recent royal moves toward France, the Czech Republic and other European countries.
On the defence and security side, Al-Madi said that broadening cooperation with European countries gives Jordan scope to diversify its sources of cooperation in the defence market - particularly given the presence of European companies specialising in defence industries - stressing the importance of aligning such cooperation with existing economic, political and trade relations between Jordan and those countries.
Al-Madi emphasised that widening the alliance network is not new: Jordan has long expanded its alliances, broadened their scope and reinforced its role. Jordanian foreign policy has historically rested on building a wide network of relationships rather than placing all external ties within a single axis.
Jordan's Western relationships - including its relationship with the United States - can complement the broadening of European partnerships, he said, in an environment of wide respect for the Jordanian role and the role of His Majesty the King in the region.
The partnerships can deliver gains across multiple dimensions - economic, commercial, industrial, security and political - as well as strengthening Jordan's position within European policies linked to regional stability, Al-Madi said.
He noted that Europe's own interest is tied to preserving Jordanian stability and calm, given that regional conflicts bear on European security and stability - and that European partnerships give Jordan greater scope to participate in policies shaping the region's future.
Al-Madi connected this to the ongoing process of trust-building between Jordan and Europe, pointing to the Jordan-Europe Investment Forum as an indicator of the level of confidence in the relationship. The fact that discussions have reached the stage of proposing 'an investment forum and an investment summit in Jordan', he said, reflects the distinctive character of the partnership and the potential to build on it - to the point where it could serve as a model for other countries in the region.
Security and strategic expert Dr. Bashir Al-Da'jah told Al Ghad that the recent Jordanian moves toward France and the Czech Republic reflect 'a calculated repositioning of Jordan's relationship network' during a period of acute regional complexity. Jordan, he said, no longer approaches its national security through a single partner or axis, but through a broader network of political, defence, economic and technological partnerships.
Al-Da'jah said the King's visit to France moved the Jordanian-French relationship from the level of political coordination to a more institutional level in the defence field, in the context of a defence cooperation agreement aimed at deepening the bilateral partnership and reinforcing the two countries' contribution to regional security and stability.
The significance of such agreements, he stressed, is not limited to equipment or training but extends to the exchange of expertise, planning, coordination, capability development and the raising of the level of joint work between military and security institutions.
The Czech visit added a complementary dimension to the French track, Al-Da'jah said, particularly through the discussion of defence, security, technological and economic cooperation and meetings with companies specialising in defence industries.
This orientation reflects a conviction that 'security cannot be separated from technology, industry and economics', he said, and that building a sustainable defence capability requires, alongside equipment, knowledge, training, maintenance, technology transfer and personnel development.
On the broader question of alliance expansion, Al-Da'jah said it is more precise to speak of 'expanding the network of strategic partnerships' rather than alliances in the strictly military sense - Jordanian foreign policy having historically rested on flexibility, balance and keeping channels open with multiple parties.
The diversity of Jordan's relations with the United States, Europe, Arab states and Gulf countries is not a diplomatic luxury but 'a security necessity in a rapidly changing regional environment', he said.
Al-Da'jah said Jordan is seeking through this course to move from the position of a recipient of support to that of a partner in producing regional security, citing its role in the 'Aqaba meetings' and in supporting the development of security and military institutional capacity in other Arab countries.
This approach, he said, reflects an attempt to address sources of instability before they become cross-border crises, while drawing on France's political and security weight and on the industrial and technological base that the Czech Republic provides.
On what these partnerships add for Jordan, Al-Da'jah identified several dimensions: enhanced defence capabilities; broader sources of technology, training and expertise; development of cybersecurity and the protection of critical infrastructure; and cooperation on water, energy, economics and investment.
'Investment in cybersecurity is not only a technical file - it is a direct investment in national security', he said, given the diversity of threats, including missiles, drones, cyberattacks, smuggling, organised crime and information warfare.
Diversifying partnerships reinforces what he described as 'strategic independence' - not meaning separation from allies, but possessing more than one option in technology, training, armament and political cooperation, reducing the risks of dependence on a single source.
France, Al-Da'jah said, provides Jordan - alongside defence cooperation - with European political weight by virtue of Paris's presence in the Security Council, the European Union and Middle East files, while the Czech Republic offers broader scope for industrial and technological cooperation.
The recent royal tour, he concluded, reflects an orientation toward 'expanding the strategic safety net without Jordan changing its constants or its fundamental alignments' - the goal being not to replace one partner with another, but to add partners and build a multi-level relationship network.
The value of this movement, Al-Da'jah said, lies in building options before crises occur, so that diplomacy, economics, technology and international partnerships all become components of resilience and national security.
He added that the widening of regional instability increases Jordan's importance as a security and political partner for Europe, stressing that the kingdom is not only seeking to limit the fallout from surrounding crises but aims 'to be part of the architecture of security and stability in the region'.
This article was originally written in Arabic by Al Ghad newspaper (staff report) for Al Ghad. It was translated into English with AI assistance and edited by Jordan News.
Speaking to Al Ghad, the analysts said Jordan's aim is not to replace existing alliances but to construct a multi-level 'strategic safety net' that gives the kingdom broader options in security, technology, economics and politics - and strengthens its capacity to manage crises before their consequences spread across its borders.
The opening toward Europe, the analysts said, rests on a formula that goes beyond politics to the building of mutual interests. It draws on Europe's geographic proximity, its economic and political weight, and the accumulated trust in Jordan's role within a turbulent region.
Potential gains, they noted, extend well beyond security and defence into investment, energy, water, trade and industry. European engagement also gives Jordan greater influence in discussions about the region's future and stability.
For its part, Europe views Jordanian stability as part of its own interests, given that regional crises in the Middle East bear directly on European security and stability.
On the security dimension, the analysts said the moves toward France and the Czech Republic carry a clear signal of intent to diversify sources of defence cooperation - from equipment and training to knowledge-sharing, planning and technology transfer.
The partnership with France carries a political and security dimension by virtue of France's engagement in regional files, while the Czech Republic opens space for cooperation in defence and technology industries - reinforcing the principle that 'security cannot be separated from technology, industry and economics'.
Political analyst Dr. Munther Al-Hawarat told Al Ghad that the recent moves toward France and the Czech Republic fit within a Jordanian orientation toward diversifying strategic partnerships, and do not represent an alternative to existing alliances. Jordan, he said, is working to 'add layers of alliance to protect Jordanian national security'.
Broadening Jordan's political and security room for manoeuvre reduces dependence on any single international track, Al-Hawarat said, particularly given a regional environment that is 'highly turbulent and volatile', with clear prospects of shifting power centres.
On France specifically, Al-Hawarat said the visit came in the context of the Aqaba meetings and support for the Lebanese army ahead of a donors' conference, but also carried a wider dimension: deepening defence and security cooperation in ways that could enhance Jordanian military and strategic capabilities.
Coordinating with France matters too because of France's interest in Syria and Lebanon - two countries directly linked to regional and Jordanian security, he said. Cooperation could open the way for supporting central state authority and strengthening armed forces in both countries, with positive effects on Jordanian security interests, given that Syria is a neighbouring country and Lebanon remains a point of regional tension.
On the Czech partnership, Al-Hawarat pointed to the country's importance in the defence and military industries, saying this creates opportunities for cooperation in military industry and training, alongside trade, energy and water, and 'opens a new gateway from Jordan' to broader fields of cooperation.
Al-Hawarat stressed that the royal role remains central to this process, through the deployment of international confidence in Jordan's position and in the role it plays in the region. The kingdom's ability - despite being surrounded by various tensions - to help produce balances that lead toward peace has, he said, reinforced 'Jordan's credibility and respect at regional and global level'.
He said Jordan is seeking to translate that confidence in its political role into partnerships that serve its economic and strategic interests, strengthen its standing as a stable and balanced state, and allow it to act as a channel of dialogue between Europe and the Arab world.
Al-Hawarat emphasised that Jordan is 'not looking for an alternative axis' but is building a 'strategic safety net' by expanding its partnership network - a course that can deliver defensive and technical capabilities, political support for its regional positions, and economic and investment opportunities.
To sustain those outcomes, he said the royal effort needs to be given institutional and bureaucratic form through the relevant institutions in Jordan and its partner countries, so that political movement translates into practical, lasting cooperation across multiple fields.
Dr. Badr Al-Madi, professor of political science at the German Jordanian University, told Al Ghad that Jordan's recent moves - including those of His Majesty the King - form part of a continuous assessment of the regional and global situation, and that Jordan is persistently working to build new frameworks for its external relations and to expand areas of trade, industrial, economic and political cooperation.
Al-Madi said the opening toward Europe rests on an important geographic, economic and political factor: Europe is 'very close to the region', and is closely tied to Jordanian trade and industry, allowing Jordan to diversify its markets and economic relationships.
This policy has helped build 'distinguished relations with Europe', he said, pointing to European confidence in Jordan's political, economic and commercial output.
Jordan has managed to present itself in Europe differently from many regional states, Al-Madi added - as a stable country capable of 'reproducing itself in a volatile and unstable region' and of maintaining its stability amid regional transformations. That context, he said, helps explain part of the recent royal moves toward France, the Czech Republic and other European countries.
On the defence and security side, Al-Madi said that broadening cooperation with European countries gives Jordan scope to diversify its sources of cooperation in the defence market - particularly given the presence of European companies specialising in defence industries - stressing the importance of aligning such cooperation with existing economic, political and trade relations between Jordan and those countries.
Al-Madi emphasised that widening the alliance network is not new: Jordan has long expanded its alliances, broadened their scope and reinforced its role. Jordanian foreign policy has historically rested on building a wide network of relationships rather than placing all external ties within a single axis.
Jordan's Western relationships - including its relationship with the United States - can complement the broadening of European partnerships, he said, in an environment of wide respect for the Jordanian role and the role of His Majesty the King in the region.
The partnerships can deliver gains across multiple dimensions - economic, commercial, industrial, security and political - as well as strengthening Jordan's position within European policies linked to regional stability, Al-Madi said.
He noted that Europe's own interest is tied to preserving Jordanian stability and calm, given that regional conflicts bear on European security and stability - and that European partnerships give Jordan greater scope to participate in policies shaping the region's future.
Al-Madi connected this to the ongoing process of trust-building between Jordan and Europe, pointing to the Jordan-Europe Investment Forum as an indicator of the level of confidence in the relationship. The fact that discussions have reached the stage of proposing 'an investment forum and an investment summit in Jordan', he said, reflects the distinctive character of the partnership and the potential to build on it - to the point where it could serve as a model for other countries in the region.
Security and strategic expert Dr. Bashir Al-Da'jah told Al Ghad that the recent Jordanian moves toward France and the Czech Republic reflect 'a calculated repositioning of Jordan's relationship network' during a period of acute regional complexity. Jordan, he said, no longer approaches its national security through a single partner or axis, but through a broader network of political, defence, economic and technological partnerships.
Al-Da'jah said the King's visit to France moved the Jordanian-French relationship from the level of political coordination to a more institutional level in the defence field, in the context of a defence cooperation agreement aimed at deepening the bilateral partnership and reinforcing the two countries' contribution to regional security and stability.
The significance of such agreements, he stressed, is not limited to equipment or training but extends to the exchange of expertise, planning, coordination, capability development and the raising of the level of joint work between military and security institutions.
The Czech visit added a complementary dimension to the French track, Al-Da'jah said, particularly through the discussion of defence, security, technological and economic cooperation and meetings with companies specialising in defence industries.
This orientation reflects a conviction that 'security cannot be separated from technology, industry and economics', he said, and that building a sustainable defence capability requires, alongside equipment, knowledge, training, maintenance, technology transfer and personnel development.
On the broader question of alliance expansion, Al-Da'jah said it is more precise to speak of 'expanding the network of strategic partnerships' rather than alliances in the strictly military sense - Jordanian foreign policy having historically rested on flexibility, balance and keeping channels open with multiple parties.
The diversity of Jordan's relations with the United States, Europe, Arab states and Gulf countries is not a diplomatic luxury but 'a security necessity in a rapidly changing regional environment', he said.
Al-Da'jah said Jordan is seeking through this course to move from the position of a recipient of support to that of a partner in producing regional security, citing its role in the 'Aqaba meetings' and in supporting the development of security and military institutional capacity in other Arab countries.
This approach, he said, reflects an attempt to address sources of instability before they become cross-border crises, while drawing on France's political and security weight and on the industrial and technological base that the Czech Republic provides.
On what these partnerships add for Jordan, Al-Da'jah identified several dimensions: enhanced defence capabilities; broader sources of technology, training and expertise; development of cybersecurity and the protection of critical infrastructure; and cooperation on water, energy, economics and investment.
'Investment in cybersecurity is not only a technical file - it is a direct investment in national security', he said, given the diversity of threats, including missiles, drones, cyberattacks, smuggling, organised crime and information warfare.
Diversifying partnerships reinforces what he described as 'strategic independence' - not meaning separation from allies, but possessing more than one option in technology, training, armament and political cooperation, reducing the risks of dependence on a single source.
France, Al-Da'jah said, provides Jordan - alongside defence cooperation - with European political weight by virtue of Paris's presence in the Security Council, the European Union and Middle East files, while the Czech Republic offers broader scope for industrial and technological cooperation.
The recent royal tour, he concluded, reflects an orientation toward 'expanding the strategic safety net without Jordan changing its constants or its fundamental alignments' - the goal being not to replace one partner with another, but to add partners and build a multi-level relationship network.
The value of this movement, Al-Da'jah said, lies in building options before crises occur, so that diplomacy, economics, technology and international partnerships all become components of resilience and national security.
He added that the widening of regional instability increases Jordan's importance as a security and political partner for Europe, stressing that the kingdom is not only seeking to limit the fallout from surrounding crises but aims 'to be part of the architecture of security and stability in the region'.
This article was originally written in Arabic by Al Ghad newspaper (staff report) for Al Ghad. It was translated into English with AI assistance and edited by Jordan News.
NEWS RELATED TO