Jordan’s strategic geographic location has always been an advantage, but in
recent years, Jordan has not been very active in its relations with its
neighbors: Syria, Iraq, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. More recently Jordan
attempted to reengage with these countries, but after a lull of several years,
this is not easy.
اضافة اعلان
Jordan’s reengagement with Iraq and Syria is
important to diversifying economic options and building the Kingdom as an
economic hub for the region. At the same time, Amman began to review relations
with Israel, which significantly deteriorated while Benjamin Netanyahu was
prime minister of Israel.
The current situation in neighboring countries and
recent developments in the region make it critical for Jordan to revise its
policies and approach to manage the challenges on the horizon.
While there was optimism last summer as Jordan set
out to solve the crisis in Syria, the momentum has stalled as international
consensus is impossible, given that the Russian presence and the implications
of the war in Ukraine preclude agreements with key countries like the US and
major EU powers.
In Iraq, the political process and lack of consensus
are major obstacles to a united Iraq and clear long-term policies. Moreover,
the risk of instability is increasing due to the turbulent political scene,
rivalry among protagonists, and the re-emergence of Daesh and its activity in
Al Anbar area, close to the Jordanian border.
The West Bank also represents a challenge for
Jordan, as instability, clashes or perhaps even escalation will have
implications for the Kingdom’s security, politics, economy, and even
demographics, as instability in the West Bank could contributed to the
so-called “transfer by choice”, which adds more pressure to Jordan.
Jordan should take into consideration the wider context of both regional instability and internal economic hardship and forge a path to create balance and stability in the short-term, that could lead to growth and strategic positioning in the longer term.
Saudi Arabia is the only country bordering Jordan
that has no crisis, which logically means that Jordan should capitalize on
rebuilding vital relations with the Saudis. A new model of cooperation, investment
and connectivity of the two countries through big projects could have real and
positive impact, particularly in the south of the country.
Regional challenges might make it harder for Jordan
to face its internal challenges, especially social frustration due to economic
hardships, combined with increased risk of terrorists and criminals trying to
use Jordan’s borders to export their activities. Therefore, Jordan should take
into consideration the wider context of both regional instability and internal
economic hardship and forge a path to create balance and stability in the
short-term, that could lead to growth and strategic positioning in the longer
term.
Jordan needs a pragmatic approach in dealing with
these challenges. Building alliances is not easy in the multi-dimensional
conflicts in the region and beyond, but it must be adopted, sooner rather than
later. Jordan needs to take all the necessary steps to secure its borders and
adopt a regional strategy that helps it deal with all challenges and risks at
its borders. This requires a real change in engaging and dealing with the
regional situation, so revising Jordanian policies is the best option at this
stage.
The writer is a Jordanian university professor and
geopolitical expert. He is a leading columnist in national, regional, and
international media, offers consultancies to think tanks and speaks at
international conferences on Middle East politics and developments.
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