DOCSLIB.ORG

The Endurance of Arab Authoritarian Regimes: a Study of Jordan and Algeria

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Endurance of Arab Authoritarian Regimes: a Study of Jordan and Algeria Union College Union | Digital Works Honors Theses Student Work 6-2013 The ndurE ance of Arab Authoritarian Regimes: A Study of Jordan and Algeria Stacey Berger Union College - Schenectady, NY Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses Part of the Comparative Politics Commons, Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons, and the Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons Recommended Citation Berger, Stacey, "The ndurE ance of Arab Authoritarian Regimes: A Study of Jordan and Algeria" (2013). Honors Theses. 633. https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/633 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at Union | Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Union | Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Berger 1 The Endurance of Arab Authoritarian Regimes: A Study of Jordan and Algeria By Stacey L. Berger Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Honors in the Departments of Political Science Union College June 2013 Berger 2 Introduction The endurance of Arab authoritarian regimes has been quite daunting, especially with the rise of the Arab Spring. Some Arab regimes have ruled with domination and repression since the nineteenth century. These regimes stand out globally with respect to the number of democratic countries. Even with the recent rebellions, the rise of the Arab Spring, starting in 2011, a number of Arab regimes still continue to thrive and remain in tact under authoritarian rule. This includes quite a number of Arab states that have faced uprisings during the Arab Spring, but have not implemented a new democratic system or elected a new leader, such as Syria. With this fascinating reality of Arab authoritarian regimes, I set out to find the reason for the endurance of Arab authoritarian regimes, noting that this was not a simple coincidence. My goal was to find out what exactly allowed Arab authoritarian regimes to remain stable, whether it was political strategies or economic resources, even in the face of the Arab Spring. Overall, I was determined to obtain a grip on one solid and plausible reason as to why Arab authoritarian leaders have endured for so long, or at least a brief number of reasons. Arab authoritarianism has allowed the regimes to endure since the nineteenth century and continue to do so with protests and grievances amongst citizens. I decided to choose the topic of Arab authoritarian endurance because I understood the importance in exposing the backbone of the regimes. I truly believe that learning about the reasons for Arab authoritarian endurance empowers people of all backgrounds with the knowledge of strategies that dictates the lives of people in Arab states. Not only does this topic allow people to understand the power of Arab regimes in being able to rule with a strong fist, but also enables people to comprehend how most Berger 3 Arab authoritarian regimes are able to continue to real with a stable regime even with the recent Arab uprisings. The endurance of Arab authoritarianism is most important in being able to analyze and compare Arab regimes that have fallen to the Arab Spring and the ones that continue to maintain durability. In order to complete this research task, I embarked on extensive research and used various methodologies. My thesis is split into four sections, with two main chapters. My first section is the literature review. I completed this portion by researching a broad range of arguments by a number of different scholars, such as the politicized education system, the condition of the coercive forces, hydrocarbon exports, and so on for the endurance of Arab authoritarian regimes. These arguments included reasons prior to the Arab Spring. The arguments used in my literature review all fall under political, economic, cultural, security, or educational reasons. My two main chapters consist of Jordan and Algeria. I chose these two regimes as my core chapters to create a balanced argument, as Jordan is a constitutional monarchy and Algeria is a semi-presidential republic. My methodologies for these chapters included conducting extensive research on each country with concern to the recent protests, government responses, and theories amongst scholars as to why these regimes continue to endure even after the Arab Spring. I also learned about the structure of each regime, such as its components, government supporters, government opponents, and security forces. I provided the structure of each regime in the beginning of each core chapter. Each of these countries have unique factors specific to their endurance, which helped me produce a compelling thesis. Berger 4 The last section of my thesis includes a conclusion. My conclusion wraps up my entire thesis. I provided similarities and differences between Jordan and Algeria for the protests, government responses, and theories for the endurance of each country. In regards to the protests, I explained similarities and differences between Jordan and Algeria for the grievances, general ideals, organization, location, injuries, and the amount of security. As for the government responses, I provided similarities and differences for the economic and political responses. In regards to the theories, I included overlapping political theories for the endurance of each regime. I also focused on overlapping political, security, and economic reasons between the theories in the literature review and the theories for my core cases. I also provided results specific to each country for all of these areas. Finally, I discussed how adequate the literature review theories matched up to Jordan and Algeria, as well as arguments that should be added to the literature review theories. Lastly, I touched upon approaches from the literature review that were not widely argued by theorists for Jordan and Algeria. My findings did not end up including one solid and plausible reason as to why Arab authoritarian leaders have endured for so long, but rather a number of reasons for the lasting regimes. I argued that the main reasons for the endurance of Arab authoritarian regimes fall under political means, which were overlapping arguments for the core cases of Jordan and Algeria. These arguments include the creation of reforms and promises, the threat of chaos, and societal cleavages. My findings also included theories that fit with the literature. These arguments fall under political, security, and economic reasons. These arguments include legitimacy, multi-party system, Berger 5 patrimonialism, resource wealth, international support, internal disagreements, and coercive security forces. The arguments reveal that each Arab authoritarian regime is able to endure due to distinct reasons, as each regime is different. However the theories of legitimacy, multi- party system, patrimonialism, resource wealth, international support, internal disagreements, and coercive security forces stand out as the main arguments, as the reasons are common amongst almost all Arab authoritarian regimes. Overall, I argue that there is not one specific reason for the endurance of Arab authoritarian regimes, but rather different reasons under various categories that fit the majority of the Arab states. Berger 6 Literature Review Various theorists have argued about the reasons for this endurance of Arab authoritarian regimes. Some scholars have overlapping arguments, while many reasons clash. Overall most fall under political, economic, cultural, security, or educational reasons. Among various arguments, political issues seem to be the most popular reasons among theorists for the endurance of Arab regimes. For instance, a number of scholars specifically point to the use of the multi-party system. Posusney claims that the oppositional groups have nowhere to move under this system because they are restricted under almost every area (Authoritarianism, 95). This includes the media, campaign activities, simple formation and registration as a political party. Incomplete parliamentarization, liberalized autocracies, the abundance of independent candidates, and financial fragility further restrict opposition groups. With respect to the media, the regime has complete control. The media is extremely restricted, especially for opposition parties. For example, radio stations need their programs approved by the secret police and one newspaper editor claimed “we can barely bring ourselves to express our opinions to our wives in our bedrooms and even then we are afraid” when responding to a question with regards to obeying the secret police about his cartoon section (The Media Relations 195). One Jordanian columnist even claimed, “I feel like I am two people…on the one hand I am addressing the readers, but part of me is addressing all the security services watching me” (The Media Relations 197). When it comes to the regime, the government controls the media, using it to its own advantage and “creat[ing] the impression of Berger 7 popular mandate for the leader” (Authoritarianism 95). Essentially the media is caged and opposition parties are unable to use it to their benefit. When it comes to campaign activities and voting, opposition parties face many restraints. During the election, voters are often coerced if they support the challenger (Authoritarianism 91). Macfarquhar uses Qudah, a Jordanian poet, as an example. Qudah was jailed by the secret police after simply reciting a poem regarding Jordan’s political system (The
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Profiles of New Ministers
    | Tuesday, October 13, 2020 JORDAN 3 Profiles of new ministers Prime Minister Deputy Prime Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Deputy Prime and Minister of Defence Minister and of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister and Minister of Local Minister of State for Born on January 27, 1969, Kha- Administration Safadi, who holds an MA in Interna- Economic Affairs sawneh holds a PhD in law from tional Journalism from Baylor Uni- the London School of Economics. Born in Maan versity in Texas and a BA in English Born in Amman in He also worked as an adviser for in 1947, Kreis- Literature from Yarmouk University, 1946, Toukan ob- policies to His Majesty King Ab- han obtained has edited and written for a number tained his bachelor’s dullah as of August 18, 2020 and his BSc in ac- of newspapers, including The Jordan and master’s degrees adviser to King Abdullah for com- counting and Times and Al Ghad. Since September in business admin- munications and coordination business ad- 2016, he has served as a member of the istration from the between 2019 and 2020 and Jor- m i n i s t r at i o n Tawfiq Kreishan Senate until his appointment as a min- Ayman Safadi American Univer- Umayya Toukan dan’s permanent representative to from the Arab ister in Hani Mulki’s Cabinet. Between sity of Beirut, a post- UNESCO between 2018 and 2019. University of Beirut in 1972. He 2008 and 2011, Safadi served as adviser to His Majesty graduate diploma in economic develop- Khasawneh was also the King- was a deputy in Jordan’s 12th King Abdullah and as deputy prime minister, minister of ment from Oxford University and a PhD dom’s ambassador to France be- Bisher Al Khasawneh Parliament (1993-1997).
    [Show full text]
  • By Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Of
    FROM DIWAN TO PALACE: JORDANIAN TRIBAL POLITICS AND ELECTIONS by LAURA C. WEIR Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Adviser: Dr. Pete Moore Department of Political Science CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY January, 2013 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of Laura Weir candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree *. Pete Moore, Ph.D (chair of the committee) Vincent E. McHale, Ph.D. Kelly McMann, Ph.D. Neda Zawahri, Ph.D. (date) October 19, 2012 *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables v List of Maps and Illustrations viii List of Abbreviations x CHAPTERS 1. RESEARCH PUZZLE AND QUESTIONS Introduction 1 Literature Review 6 Tribal Politics and Elections 11 Case Study 21 Potential Challenges of the Study 30 Conclusion 35 2. THE HISTORY OF THE JORDANIAN ―STATE IN SOCIETY‖ Introduction 38 The First Wave: Early Development, pre-1921 40 The Second Wave: The Arab Revolt and the British, 1921-1946 46 The Third Wave: Ideological and Regional Threats, 1946-1967 56 The Fourth Wave: The 1967 War and Black September, 1967-1970 61 Conclusion 66 3. SCARCE RESOURCES: THE STATE, TRIBAL POLITICS, AND OPPOSITION GROUPS Introduction 68 How Tribal Politics Work 71 State Institutions 81 iii Good Governance Challenges 92 Guests in Our Country: The Palestinian Jordanians 101 4. THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES: FAILURE OF POLITICAL PARTIES AND THE RISE OF TRIBAL POLITICS Introduction 118 Political Threats and Opportunities, 1921-1970 125 The Political Significance of Black September 139 Tribes and Parties, 1989-2007 141 The Muslim Brotherhood 146 Conclusion 152 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter IV: the Implications of the Crisis on Host Communities in Irbid
    Chapter IV The Implications of the Crisis on Host Communities in Irbid and Mafraq – A Socio-Economic Perspective With the beginning of the first quarter of 2011, Syrian refugees poured into Jordan, fleeing the instability of their country in the wake of the Arab Spring. Throughout the two years that followed, their numbers doubled and had a clear impact on the bor- dering governorates, namely Mafraq and Irbid, which share a border with Syria ex- tending some 375 kilometers and which host the largest portion of refugees. Official statistics estimated that at the end of 2013 there were around 600,000 refugees, of whom 170,881 and 124,624 were hosted by the local communities of Mafraq and Ir- bid, respectively. This means that the two governorates are hosting around half of the UNHCR-registered refugees in Jordan. The accompanying official financial burden on Jordan, as estimated by some inter- national studies, stood at around US$2.1 billion in 2013 and is expected to hit US$3.2 billion in 2014. This chapter discusses the socio-economic impact of Syrian refugees on the host communities in both governorates. Relevant data has been derived from those studies conducted for the same purpose, in addition to field visits conducted by the research team and interviews conducted with those in charge, local community members and some refugees in these two governorates. 1. Overview of Mafraq and Irbid Governorates It is relevant to give a brief account of the administrative structure, demographics and financial conditions of the two governorates. Mafraq Governorate Mafraq governorate is situated in the north-eastern part of the Kingdom and it borders Iraq (east and north), Syria (north) and Saudi Arabia (south and east).
    [Show full text]
  • A Sociolinguistic Study in Am, Northern Jordan
    A Sociolinguistic Study in am, Northern Jordan Noora Abu Ain A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Language and Linguistics University of Essex June 2016 2 To my beloved Ibrahim for his love, patience and continuous support 3 Abstract T features in S J T (U) T J : zubde „ ‟ dʒubne „ ‟. On the other hand, the central and southern Jordanian dialects have [i] in similar environments; thus, zibde and dʒibne T (L) T the dark varian t [l] I , : x „ ‟ g „ ‟, other dialects realise it as [l], and thus: x l and g l. These variables are studied in relation to three social factors (age, gender and amount of contact) and three linguistic factors (position in syllable, preceding and following environments). The sample consists of 60 speakers (30 males and 30 females) from three age groups (young, middle and old). The data were collected through sociolinguistic interviews, and analysed within the framework of the Variationist Paradigm using Rbrul statistical package. The results show considerable variation and change in progress in the use of both variables, constrained by linguistic and social factors. , T lowed by a back vowel. For both variables, the young female speakers were found to lead the change towards the non-local variants [i] and [l]. The interpretations of the findings focus on changes that the local community have experienced 4 as a result of urbanisation and increased access to the target features through contact with outside communities. Keywords: Jordan, , variable (U), variable (L), Rbrul, variation and change 5 Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Autocracy and Anocracy.*
    Autocracy and Anocracy. Norman Scho…eldyand Maria Gallegoz Center in Political Economy, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive,Saint Louis, MO 63130. September 7, 2011 1 Institutions and Democratization Recent events have focussed the world’s attention on how autocrats have sur- vived for so long in countries like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and what triggers popular revolt. The literature on transitions to democracy has been partly historical, building on the seminal work of Douglass North on the role of insti- tutions, and partly empirical and theoretical, using aspects of game theory to model the calculations of autocrats as they …ght to maintain power. In the historical mode, there has been discussions about why North America was able to follow Britain in a path of economic development, but Latin Amer- ica and the Caribbean islands, though generally far richer initially, fell behind in the nineteenth century. In their discussion of Latin American economic de- velopment, Sokolo¤ and Engerman (2000) have emphasized the di¤erent factor endowments of North and South America.1 In addition they have suggested that slavery in the New World resulted in institutions that were not conducive to economic growth.2 In contrast, Przeworski and Curvale (2006) argue that while economic in- equality tended to persist and has been related to the degree of political inequal- ity, many aspects of the developmental path appear highly contingent. Indeed, whether Latin American economies grew, and the extent to which they pro- tected the factors of capital, land and labor, seems to be dependent on shifting This chapter is based on work supported by NSF grant 0715929 and a Weidenbaum Center grant.
    [Show full text]
  • Agent Name Mobile Address Mohd Hashim Saleh Parter Co 962791603734 Aqaba
    Agent Name Mobile Address Mohd Hashim Saleh parter Co 962791603734 Aqaba - Aldofla St - Alalmyeh lumi market 962797620823 Tafileh - Rween lumi market 962797620823 Madaba - Jeser Madaba lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Marka lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Marka - Mkhabez Jwad lumi market 962797620823 Alghor - North Shoneh lumi market 962797620823 Irbid - Naaemh lumi market 962797620823 Tafeleh - Jaerf Aldrawesh lumi market 962797620823 Irbid - Main St lumi market 962797620823 Jarash - Bwabet Jarash lumi market 962797620823 Tafeleh - Uni St lumi market 962797620823 Karak - Thanieh lumi market 962797620823 Maan - Alsahrawi lumi market 962797620823 Ajloun - Aben lumi market 962797620823 Mafraq - Almadenh lumi market 962797620823 Deadsea - Aladsyeh lumi market 962797620823 Maan - Alshobak lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Almoqableen lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Twneb lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Jbeha lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Abdoun lumi market 962797620823 Salat - Alsaro 1 lumi market 962797620823 Salat - Alsaro 2 lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Jwydeh 1 lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Jwydeh 2 lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Shmesani lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Uni St lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Maca St lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Wadi Saqra lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Tabarbour lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Baqaa lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Sweleh lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Wadi Alseer lumi market 962797620823 Amman - Abdulah Ghosheh street lumi market 962797620823 Amman - alhezam St
    [Show full text]
  • Mohamed Chettah, Ph.D Curriculum Vitae 2013-2014 Contact Information
    Mohamed Chettah, Ph.D Curriculum Vitae 2013-2014 Contact Information Assistant Professor Department of Mass Communication College of Communication, W7, Office # W7-103B Sharjah University City, Sharjah, UAE. P.O: 27272 Phone (Office): (+971)-6-5053623 E-mail:[email protected] Education - B.A, in Journalism, Algiers university, institut des sciences de l’information et de communication. - M.A, in information and communication sciences, faculty of arts, university of Alexandria, Egypt (topic: mass communication and development). - Ph, d, (Doctorat d’Etat) in information and communication sciences, Algiers university, department of information and communication sciences, 2004 (topic : television news). Teaching , Research, and Administrative Work Experience Assistant Professor,(September2008-Current), College of Communication, University of Sharjah. Associate Professor, Annaba University, Alegria Chairman, department of information and communication sciences, Annaba University, 1999-2002. Chairman of national committee of pedagogical sciences information and communication (designation by the minister of higher education and scientific research (committee in charge of preparing and reviewing, and revitalization programs of specialisation in the country. Associate Professor ,Annaba University, Alegria Member of the scientific council of information and communication sciences, Annaba university Other Professional Experience Writes a weekly article in ElHayat newspaper, Algeria, 1991. Member, founder of “El Youm Sabaa” Algeria. Founder and Editor of “ El Sohofi El-Djadid” in department of information and communication sciences. Research & Teaching Interests Mass media in developing countries Media and social change, News in media (TV, Newspaper, Radio) New technologies of mass media., Research methods in the field of information/ communication. Research and Conferences Forum of “culture and city”, municipality of Constantine, “wish information to wish city”, 16 April 1995.
    [Show full text]
  • Decline in Vertebrate Biodiversity in Bethlehem, Palestine
    Volume 7, Number 2, June .2014 ISSN 1995-6673 JJBS Pages 101 - 107 Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences Decline in Vertebrate Biodiversity in Bethlehem, Palestine Mazin B. Qumsiyeh1,* , Sibylle S. Zavala1 and Zuhair S. Amr2 1 Faculty of Science, Bethlehem University 9 Rue des Freres, Bethlehem, Palestine. 2 Department of Biology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan. Received: December 10, 2013 Revised: January 15, 2014 Accepted: January 20, 2014 Abstract Our data showed that in the 1960s/1970s some 31 species of mammals and 78 species of birds were present in the area of the Bethlehem governorate, between Bethlehem and Deir Mar Saba. Comparison with observations done in 2008-2013 showed significant declines in vertebrate biodiversity in this area, which has increasingly become urbanized, with an increase in temperature and a decrease in annual rainfall over the past four decades. Keywords: Biodiversity, Palestine, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles. the human pressure in all areas (ARIJ, 1995). However, 1. Introduction the impact of these changes on nature was not studied. To estimate the impact of this human development Research on vertebrate biodiversity in the occupied on nature is difficult. Most studies of fauna and flora of West Bank is limited compared to that in the nearby the area South of Jerusalem (Bethlehem Governorate) areas of Palestine and Jordan; Palestinian research in was done by Western visitors who came on short trips to general still lags behind (Qumsiyeh and Isaac, 2012). tour the "Holy Land". One of the first native More work is needed to study habitat destruction Palestinians who engaged in faunal studies was Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Zerohack Zer0pwn Youranonnews Yevgeniy Anikin Yes Men
    Zerohack Zer0Pwn YourAnonNews Yevgeniy Anikin Yes Men YamaTough Xtreme x-Leader xenu xen0nymous www.oem.com.mx www.nytimes.com/pages/world/asia/index.html www.informador.com.mx www.futuregov.asia www.cronica.com.mx www.asiapacificsecuritymagazine.com Worm Wolfy Withdrawal* WillyFoReal Wikileaks IRC 88.80.16.13/9999 IRC Channel WikiLeaks WiiSpellWhy whitekidney Wells Fargo weed WallRoad w0rmware Vulnerability Vladislav Khorokhorin Visa Inc. Virus Virgin Islands "Viewpointe Archive Services, LLC" Versability Verizon Venezuela Vegas Vatican City USB US Trust US Bankcorp Uruguay Uran0n unusedcrayon United Kingdom UnicormCr3w unfittoprint unelected.org UndisclosedAnon Ukraine UGNazi ua_musti_1905 U.S. Bankcorp TYLER Turkey trosec113 Trojan Horse Trojan Trivette TriCk Tribalzer0 Transnistria transaction Traitor traffic court Tradecraft Trade Secrets "Total System Services, Inc." Topiary Top Secret Tom Stracener TibitXimer Thumb Drive Thomson Reuters TheWikiBoat thepeoplescause the_infecti0n The Unknowns The UnderTaker The Syrian electronic army The Jokerhack Thailand ThaCosmo th3j35t3r testeux1 TEST Telecomix TehWongZ Teddy Bigglesworth TeaMp0isoN TeamHav0k Team Ghost Shell Team Digi7al tdl4 taxes TARP tango down Tampa Tammy Shapiro Taiwan Tabu T0x1c t0wN T.A.R.P. Syrian Electronic Army syndiv Symantec Corporation Switzerland Swingers Club SWIFT Sweden Swan SwaggSec Swagg Security "SunGard Data Systems, Inc." Stuxnet Stringer Streamroller Stole* Sterlok SteelAnne st0rm SQLi Spyware Spying Spydevilz Spy Camera Sposed Spook Spoofing Splendide
    [Show full text]
  • A Bakhtinian Reading of Contemporary Jordanian Political Humour
    Carnivalesque politics and popular resistance: A Bakhtinian reading of contemporary Jordanian political humour Yousef Barahmeh Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Portsmouth School of Area Studies, History, Politics and Literature February 2020 i Abstract This thesis examines contemporary Jordanian political humour in the context of the political history of Jordan and the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions. It applies Mikhail Bakhtin’s mid-20th century theory of carnival and the carnivalesque (folk humour) as a framework for thinking about Jordanian politics and political humour in social media spaces following the Arab Spring. The Bakhtinian approach to humour has predominantly focused on the role of humour as a revolutionary impulse that aims to attack and expose the shortcomings of established political power, as well as to highlight public attitudes towards that power. The analysis undertaken here of Jordanian politics and political humour in Jordanian social media spaces after the Arab Spring found that Bakhtin’s ‘marketplace’ is no longer the streets and material public spaces, but rather the social media spaces. The nature of the carnivals in social media spaces is in many ways just as carnivalesque as the ‘marketplace’ of Bakhtin’s Medieval France, characterised by polyphony, the overturning of social hierarchies and the presence of dialogism (and monologism) and the grotesque. To more fully address the relevance – and some of the limitations – of application of Bakhtin’s ideas about carnival to the Jordanian socio- political context after the Arab Spring, this thesis analyses key political cartoons, satirical articles, comedy sketches, politically satirical videos and internet memes produced by Jordanians from the start of the Arab ii Spring to early 2019.
    [Show full text]
  • Jordan: the Difficult Path Towards Reform
    Report Jordan: The Difficult Path towards Reform Ali Mahafzah* Al Jazeera Centre for Studies Tel: +974-44663454 [email protected] http://studies.aljazeera.net 19 December 2012 The political situation in Jordan is no different from that of other Arab countries which have experienced revolutionary uprisings over the past two years. In particular, strong similarities exist in terms of political despotism, absolute autocracy and the emergence of a ruling elite. This elite that is dominating the country's economy and administration, is practicing widespread corruption, losing touch with the public and limiting public freedoms through temporary laws that are literally and essentially, contradictory to the constitution of the country. Also, such elites are suppressing political opposition and, by using various media to defend themselves from allegations of despotism and corruption, are seeking to obstruct demands for comprehensive reforms and change and demands for the punishment of those involved in corruption and the repayment of embezzled public money. The aim is to defame the advocates of reform in general and their leadership in particular. The ruling elite has resorted to using old-fashioned ways to gain sympathy from Jordanian tribal groups by urging them to declare their loyalty to King Abdullah II in an attempt to conceal the reality of its corrupt and arbitrary practices. Forces of Change These forces can be summarised as follows: 1. The Islamists are at the forefront of these forces, including the Muslim Brotherhood and its political party, the Islamic Action Front. This party is known to have obtained, in the first fair parliamentary elections held in the country in 1989, about twenty per cent of the vote.
    [Show full text]
  • Profiles of New Ministers
    | Thursday, June 2, 2016 Profiles of new ministers Prime Minister and Minister Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister for Deputy Prime Minister and of Defence for Economic Affairs and Services and Minister of Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Industry, Education and Expatriates Born in 1951, Mulki received Trade and Supply his PhD in industrial and Holder of a PhD in administration Born in Amman in 1961, Ju- systems engineering from Born in 1943, Anani ob- from the University of Southern deh received his elementary the Rensselaer Polytechnic tained his BA in economy California, a master’s degrees in and secondary education in Institute in New York and an from the American Univer- political science and administra- Jordan and the UK and ob- MSc in management engi- sity in Cairo in 1960. He tion, and a BA in political and tained a BSc degree in for- neering from the same insti- studied civil engineering economic science from the Uni- eign service at Georgetown tution. He previously served at the California University Jawad Anani versity of Jordan (UJ), Thneibat Mohammad Thneibat University in Washington, Nasser Judeh as minister of industry and in the US from 1962 to 1964. was deputy prime minister and DC. He has served at the Roy- trade, supply, energy, for- Hani Mulki He obtained his master’s degree from Vander- minister of education in Abdullah Ensour’s govern- al Court, first in His Majesty King Hussein’s press eign affairs, and water and bilt University and his PhD from Georgia Uni- ments. He previously served as minister of public sec- office and then as private secretary to HRH Prince irrigation.
    [Show full text]