Jordan Going Darker

[Solomon2]

Jordan Going Darker
Posted By Marc Lynch Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 3:20 PM Share

The Middle East Channel Editor's Reader #8

King Abdullah's approval this week of a controversial new law imposing potentially draconian controls over Jordan's internet is finally drawing attention to the country's increasingly dangerous political situation.

The new law's effort to stifle political expression puts at risk the Jordanian IT sector, which makes up some 14 percent of the country's GDP, produces a very significant share of youth jobs, and is one of the few bright spots in its grim economy. It's hard to see the gain in further alienating disaffected youth and crush their primary source of economic hope at a time of grinding economic problems and simmering political protests (for more background, see May's Jordan, Forever on the Brink). Jordanians in the IT sector, as well as conbributors to its vibrant political public sphere, point to the irony of the famously dysfunctional Parliamentary system managing to suddenly work so effectively to produce this legislation out of all the real problems in the country it has spent years neglecting.

It's also hard to see much hope in the regime's response to its political problems. The Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood is reportedly again discussing a push for constitutional monarchy which it has intermittently floated for the last five or six years. But there does not seem to be much of a sense of urgency. Instead, there has been a combination of more repression and more of the same, tired political games: rumors of yet another prime ministerial shuffle, plans for a Parliamentary election by the end of the year under an extremely disappointing new election law. Fears of replicating Syria's bloody chaos may restrain protestors from fully challenging the King even with these escalating grievances, a familiar theme in Jordanian political history. But for how long can this be enough? And will a disappointing election be a trigger for simmering discontent to turn into something more?

Last week, as part of our new weekly series of POMEPS Conversations with leading Middle East experts, I sat down with Curtis Ryan, one of the leading American experts on Jordan, to talk about the country's political prospects...

 

[BLACKEAGLE]

Jordan issued the law regarding blocking nudity sites, that's all. MB lunatics have got most of their demands, but they still opposing everything and anything the gov does for the sake of mere opposing them, people hate and detest MB. The king urged them to take part in the coming election but they refused over the pretext of "unfulfilled demands of Jordanians", but in reality, they are just bluffing as they know they will be humiliated in the election because few would vote for them, as it happened few years ago when maybe 2 of MB candidates passed the elections. Therefore, they are making up those allegations and pretexts to avoid themselves another public humiliation.

 

[Banu Umayyah]

^^^ Jordan will be in a difficult situation if MB take over Syria. They will raise their demands considerably. That's why the Jordanian government should change its semi-passive role inside Syria. The Qataris are working hard to get the MB in Syria like in Egypt.

 

[BLACKEAGLE]

^^^ Jordan will be in a difficult situation if MB take over Syria. They will raise their demands considerably. That's why the Jordanian government should change its semi-passive role inside Syria. The Qataris are working hard to get the MB in Syria like in Egypt.

That's our major concern, if they took over Syria as they had taken over Egypt and maybe Libya and to some extent Tunisia, that would lead to a deep rift among Arabs (Kingdoms and BM-ruled countries), just like revolutionary Arab countries and kingdoms in 60s. Let's wait and see.