STABLE JORDAN: HOW A MONARCHY SURVIVED DISORDER

ABSTRACT

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has recently experienced large-scale unrest on a scale not witnessed for several years. The country, long viewed as a beacon of stability in a deeply fragile region, now faces a growing risk that it could be destabilised. This article addresses multiple pillars of stability and drivers of instability in Jordan, including the impact of the Syrian crisis, large-scale displacement, resource scarcity, and chronic political, economic, and social difficulties. Whilst the regime has endured crisis and remained stable, increasing pressures in the past few years have led analysts to predict the onset of violence or deepening instability in Jordan.

KEYWORDS:

• Jordan
• Stability
• Instability
• Middle East monarchies
• Regime survival
• economy
• tribes
• Palestinians
• security
• tribes

Notes

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62 Christophersen, ‘Protest and Reform in Jordan’, op. cit.

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65 Ibid., p. 85.

66 Ibid.

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68 Levitsky and Way, ‘Competitive Authoritarianism’, op. cit.

69 Human Rights Watch, ‘Jordan: New Arrests of Activists’, November 28, 2019. https://www.hrw.org/ (accessed 22 March 2021).

70 Ibid.

71 Ibid.

72 Ibid.

73 Ibid.

74 Ibid.

75 Martin Beck and Simone Hüser, ‘Jordan and the “Arab spring”: No Challenge, No Change?’ Middle East Critique Vol. 24. Issue 1 (2015): 83–97.

76 Ibid.

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78 Ibid., p. 12.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ghassan Elkahlout

Dr Ghassan ElKahlout is head of the MA Programme in Conflict Management and Humanitarian Action at the Doha Graduate Institute. He has a PhD in post-war reconstruction and development studies from York University, UK.

Alaa Hadid

Alaa Hadid is an MA Graduate of Conflict Management and Humanitarian Action at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha, Qatar.