Profiles of New Ministers

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Profiles of New Ministers Profiles of new ministers Prime Minister and Minister Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister of Defence for Economic Affairs for Services and and Minister of Foreign and Minister of State for Minister of Education and Expatriate Affairs Born in 1951, Mulki received Investment Affairs his PhD in industrial and sys- Holder of a PhD in admin- Born in Amman in tems engineering from the Born in 1943, Anani ob- istration from the Univer- 1961, Judeh received Rensselaer Polytechnic Insti- tained his BA in econom- sity of Southern Califor- his elementary and tute in New York and an MSc in ics from the American nia, a master’s degrees in secondary education in management engineering from University in Cairo in political science and ad- Jordan and the UK, and the same institution. He pre- 1960. He studied civil en- Jawad Anani ministration, and a BA in obtained a BSc degree viously served as minister of gineering at the Califor- political science and eco- Mohammad Thneibat in foreign service at industry and trade, supply, en- nia University in the US from 1962 to 1964. nomics from the Univer- Georgetown University Nasser Judeh ergy, foreign affairs, and water He obtained his master’s degree from Van- sity of Jordan (UJ), Thneibat was deputy prime in Washington, DC. He and irrigation. He also served derbilt University and his PhD from Geor- minister and minister of education in Abdullah has served at the Royal Court, first in His as president of the Royal Scien- gia University. Anani has served as min- Ensour’s governments and in Mulki’s previous Majesty King Hussein’s press office and then tific Society and secretary gen- ister of supply, labour industry, trade and government. He previously served as minister as private secretary to HRH Prince Has- eral of the Higher Council for tourism in the period from 1979 until 1985. of public sector development and parliamentary san. Judeh established and headed the Jor- Science and Technology. Mulki From 1993 to 1998, Anani served as minis- affairs in Marouf Bakhit’s first government in dan Information Bureau in London. He has was Jordan’s ambassador to ter of state for Prime Ministry Affairs and 2006-2007. He served as minister of administra- served as director general of the Jordan Ra- Egypt and the Arab League. He minister of media, in addition to serving as tive development in Ali Abul Ragheb’s Cabinet in dio and Television Corporation. Judeh was has also served as a senator Hani Mulki deputy prime minister for economic affairs 2000. In October 2001, he took on a second port- government spokesperson and minister of and chief commissioner of the and minister of foreign affairs. Anani also folio of culture minister in the second reshuffle of state for media affairs and communications Aqaba Special Economic Zone Class and the Kawkab Order of served as senator and Royal Court chief. He Abul Ragheb’s government. Thneibat also served in previous governments. He was deputy Authority. He received the In- the First Class, in addition to served in Mulki’s previous government as as secretary general of the Civil Service Bureau premier and foreign minister in Ensour’s dependence Order of the First other international medals. minister of industry, trade and supply. and worked as assistant professor at the UJ. government and Mulki’s previous Cabinet. Minister of Interior Minister of Water Minister of Minister of Political and Minister of and Irrigation Higher Education Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Hammad was born in and Scientific Minister of State 1944. He obtained his Born in 1962 in Research Born in 1952, BA in law from Baghdad Fuheis, Hazem Born in Irbid in 1954, Maay- Shuqum holds University in 1969 and Nasser holds a Born in 1953 in Ma- tah earned a master’s degree a bachelor’s a diploma in public ad- PhD in water re- fraq, Tweisi holds a in telecom engineering from degree in po- ministration from Paris sources from the PhD in linguistics the University of Bucharest in litical science in 1974, in addition to a Technical Univer- from the Univer- 1981, and was president of the from the UJ, diploma in local admin- sity Munich. He sity of Michigan, National Federation of Jorda- which he re- istration and French cul- Salameh Hammad served as secretary Hazem Nasser Ann Arbor, an MA Adel Tweisi nian Students in Romania from Musa Maaytah ceived in 1976. Nabih Shuqum ture from Sorbonne Uni- general of the Wa- degree in linguis- 1976-1980. Maaytah is one of the He served in versity in 1976. Hammad previously served as ter Ministry in 1997 and 1999. Nasser tics from the University of Michigan, founders of the Jordanian Democratic Socialist Party the Foreign Ministry in Paris, and sub-district director at the Interior Ministry, was minister of water and irrigation East Lansing, and a BA in English and was elected as a member of the party’s politburo worked briefly at the Prime Min- district director in Aqaba, head of the nation- between 2001 and 2003, and minister language and literature from UJ. He during its first conference. He helped in the estab- istry until he was appointed as ality and foreigner affairs department, and a of water and irrigation and minister served as president of the UJ, Al al lishment of the United Democratic Party, which was the Royal Protocol Chief in 1989, governor supervising Lower House elections. of agriculture between 2003 and 2005. Bayt University and founding presi- later renamed the Jordanian Left Democratic Party, a position he held until 1992. In He served as interior minister from 1993 to He also held the same portfolios in En- dent of Al Hussein Bin Talal Univer- and was elected as its secretary general in 1996. From 1993, he was appointed as an am- 1996 and from 2015 to 2016 in Ensour’s gov- sour’s governments. Nasser is recipient sity. Tweisi served as minister of cul- 1999, he served as the CEO and partner of a trade and bassador at the Foreign Ministry, ernment. Hammad received the Independence of Al Kawkab Order of the First Class ture between 2005 and 2007, and held marketing company as well as director of Al Badeel and in 1994 was appointed as the Order of the Second Class and Al Kawkab Or- and the Independence Order of the the same portfolio in Mulki’s previous Centre for Studies and Training. He served as minister Ministry’s secretary general. He der of the Second Class. He retains his post Second Class. He retains his post from government. He has received the Inde- of political development in Samir Rifai’s government. served as culture minister in Ri- from Mulki’s previous government. Mulki’s previous government. pendence Order of the First Class. He retains his post from Mulki’s previous Cabinet. fai’s government. Minister of Planning and Minister of Labour Minister Minister Minister of International Cooperation of Health of Social Environment Born in the Northern Development Fakhoury received a BSc in biomedical en- Jordan Valley in 1959, Born in Born in 1958, Khay- gineering and an MSc in engineering man- Ghezawi has a master’s 1 9 5 6 , Born in Irbid in yat has an aca- agement from the Case Western Reserve degree in economics from Sheyyab 1955, Azaizeh ob- demic background University, an MA in public policy from the St. Mary’s University in has a BSc tained his bach- in oceanography, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard San Antonio, Texas, and a in medi- elor’s in civil en- holding a BSc from University and an MBA from the Kellogg BA in political science and cine and gineering from High Point Univer- School at Northwestern University. He economics from the State a mas- the University of sity in the US. He Yaseen Khayyat was appointed senator and chairman of Imad Fakhoury University of New York. He Ali Ghezawi ter’s in Mahmoud Sheyyab Aleppo in Syria in Wajih Azaizeh obtained his PhD the King Abdullah II Fund for Development served as the Development paediat- 1979. He served as in environmental engineering from board of trustees in November 2014, after serving as King’s and Employment Fund’s director and was the rics from member of the Hashemite Fund for Cambridge University. He previously office director from 2011 to 2014. Between 2009 and 2011, secretary general of the Jordanian Society for the University of Jordan. He the Construction of Al Aqsa Mosque served as director general of the Jordan Fakhoury served as minister of public sector development Science and Culture. He also worked as presi- served as director general of and the Dome of the Rock’s Board of Standards and Metrology Organisation and minister of state for mega-projects. He has also served dent of the Royal Scientific Society’s political the King Abdullah I University Trustees, the restoration committee and director of the Industrial Chemistry as regional programme and policy manager at the bureau for economy unit and the economic chancellor of Hospital. A former vice presi- of Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of Centre at the Royal Scientific Society, Arab States of the UNDP; commissioner for investment and the minister of water. Ghezawi served as the dent of the Jordan University the Rock, and director of the Depart- which he joined in 1983 as a researcher. economic development at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone public relations deputy at the Jordan Armed of Science and Technology, ment of Palestinian Affairs. Azaizeh Khayyat served as environment minis- Authority; and chief of staff to His Majesty King Abdullah for Forces-Arab Army liaison office.
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]
  • The American University in Cairo Press
    TheThe AmericanAmerican 2009 UniversityUniversity inin Cairo Cairo PressPress Complete Catalog Fall The American University in Cairo Press, recognized “The American University in Cairo Press is the Arab as the leading English-language publisher in the region, world’s top foreign-language publishing house. It has currently offers a backlist of more than 1000 publica- transformed itself into one of the leading players in tions and publishes annually up to 100 wide-ranging the dialog between East and West, and has produced academic texts and general interest books on ancient a canon of Arabic literature in translation unmatched and modern Egypt and the Middle East, as well as in depth and quality by any publishing house in the Arabic literature in translation, most notably the works world.” of Egypt’s Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. —Egypt Today New Publications 9 Marfleet/El Mahdi Egypt: Moment of Change 22 Abdel-Hakim/Manley Traveling through the 10 Masud et al. Islam and Modernity Deserts of Egypt 14 McNamara The Hashemites 28 Abu Golayyel A Dog with No Tail 23 Mehdawy/Hussein The Pharaoh’s Kitchen 31 Alaidy Being Abbas el Abd 15 Moginet Writing Arabic 2 Arnold The Monuments of Egypt 30 Mustafa Contemporary Iraqi Fiction 31 Aslan The Heron 8 Naguib Women, Water, and Memory 29 Bader Papa Sartre 20 O’Kane The Illustrated Guide to the Museum 9 Bayat Life as Politics of Islamic Art 13 al-Berry Life is More Beautiful than Paradise 2 Ratnagar The Timeline History of Ancient Egypt 15 Bloom/Blair Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art 33 Roberts, R.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Protest and State–Society Relations in the Middle East and North Africa
    SIPRI Policy Paper PROTEST AND STATE– 56 SOCIETY RELATIONS IN October 2020 THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA dylan o’driscoll, amal bourhrous, meray maddah and shivan fazil STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. The Governing Board is not responsible for the views expressed in the publications of the Institute. GOVERNING BOARD Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Chair (Sweden) Dr Vladimir Baranovsky (Russia) Espen Barth Eide (Norway) Jean-Marie Guéhenno (France) Dr Radha Kumar (India) Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra (Algeria) Dr Patricia Lewis (Ireland/United Kingdom) Dr Jessica Tuchman Mathews (United States) DIRECTOR Dan Smith (United Kingdom) Signalistgatan 9 SE-169 72 Solna, Sweden Telephone: + 46 8 655 9700 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.sipri.org Protest and State– Society Relations in the Middle East and North Africa SIPRI Policy Paper No. 56 dylan o’driscoll, amal bourhrous, meray maddah and shivan fazil October 2020 © SIPRI 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of SIPRI or as expressly permitted by law. Contents Preface v Acknowledgements vi Summary vii Abbreviations ix 1. Introduction 1 Figure 1.1. Classification of countries in the Middle East and North Africa by 2 protest intensity 2. State–society relations in the Middle East and North Africa 5 Mass protests 5 Sporadic protests 16 Scarce protests 31 Highly suppressed protests 37 Figure 2.1.
    [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]
  • World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa Creating a Regional Framework for Prosperity and Peace Through Public-Private Cooperation
    Regional Agenda World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa Creating a Regional Framework for Prosperity and Peace through Public-Private Cooperation Dead Sea, Jordan 21-23 May 2015 Contents Preface 3 Preface Four years ago, the Arab Spring also an integral part of the agenda, brought a new sense of optimism to the explored at several working groups and 5 The Meeting in Numbers Middle East and North Africa (MENA). sessions as well as the closing plenary. 6 Dead Sea Highlights The region is still undergoing political, economic and social transformations, The dynamic discussions and 8 Transforming Industry and but one clear message emerged at the dialogues focused in particular on Competitiveness World Economic Forum on the Middle the advancement of youth, which 14 Transforming Employment and East and North Africa: despite regional was considered critical for the long- Entrepreneurship turmoil, MENA needs to continue term success of efforts to counter pushing reforms and initiatives to boost marginalization and radicalization. 20 Transforming Governance and productivity, create jobs and deepen Institutions economic integration. Another key focus was the policy reform 26 Transforming Geo-economics momentum in many countries, including and Geopolitics At this decisive time for the region Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, and the new strategic context, more along with the attendant infrastructure, 33 Acknowledgements Miroslav Dusek than 1,000 leaders from government, energy and investment partnerships 34 Digital Update Senior Director business and civil society, from 58 with the Gulf Cooperation Council Head of Middle East and countries, gathered in Jordan for the countries and international financial 36 Upcoming Meetings North Africa meeting, with the full support and institutions.
    [Show full text]
  • Jordan: Background and U.S
    Jordan: Background and U.S. Relations Updated April 9, 2019 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov RL33546 SUMMARY RL33546 Jordan: Background and U.S. Relations April 9, 2019 The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is considered a key U.S. partner in the Middle East. Although the United States and Jordan have never been linked by a formal treaty, they Jeremy M. Sharp have cooperated on a number of regional and international issues over the years. Specialist in Middle Jordan’s strategic importance to the United States is evident given ongoing instability in Eastern Affairs neighboring Syria and Iraq, Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel, and uncertainty over the trajectory of Palestinian politics. Jordan also is a longtime U.S. partner in global counterterrorism operations. U.S.-Jordanian military, intelligence, and diplomatic cooperation seeks to empower political moderates, reduce sectarian conflict, and eliminate terrorist threats. U.S. officials frequently express their support for Jordan. U.S. support, in particular, has helped Jordan address serious vulnerabilities, both internal and external. Jordan’s small size and lack of major economic resources have made it dependent on aid from Western and various Arab sources. President Trump has acknowledged Jordan’s role as a key U.S. partner in countering the Islamic State, as many U.S. policymakers advocate for continued robust U.S. assistance to the kingdom. Annual aid to Jordan has nearly quadrupled in historical terms over the last 15 years. The United States has provided economic and military aid to Jordan since 1951 and 1957, respectively. Total bilateral U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Jordan's Struggle Over the Rules of the Political Game
    Position Paper Jordan's Struggle over the Rules of the Political Game Al Jazeera Center for Studies Al Jazeera Center for Studies Tel: +974-44663454 18 November 2012 [email protected] http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/ The rules of the political game in Jordan no longer appeal to the major powers. The Muslim Brotherhood; Jabhat al-Islah ("the Reform Front"), led by former prime minister and Director of General Intelligence Department Ahmad Obeidat, and other movements announced their boycott of the January 2013 parliamentary elections. This indicates that these active groups refuse to take part in political games in which they have not formed the rules. It does not, however, indicate that the political regime is in critical condition; in fact, it continues to maintain its fundamental structure through internal and external consensus. Survival first There are three dimensions that states interact in and stipulate the pattern of their conduct. The first is the internal dimension which is centrally embedded in the political system and society. Internal stability depends on the degree of harmony between the priorities of the political system and those of the society. The second is the regional dimension. This denotes the adjacent region (where borders are shared), and the neighbouring region with which the state has interacted with throughout its history. At this level, the priorities are manifested through the establishment of a network of interactions with the ‘adjacent and neighbouring’ dimension to ensure the priorities of the political system and society in the first dimension are attained. Last but not least is the international dimension.
    [Show full text]
  • Profiles of New Ministers
    | Friday-Saturday, June 15-16, 2018 JORDAN 3 Profiles of new ministers Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Higher and Minister of Defence Minister and Expatriates Education and Minister of State Scientific Research Razzaz holds a PhD from Har- Safadi, who holds an MA in Interna- vard University in planning Born in Amman tional Journalism from Baylor Uni- Born in 1953 in with a minor in economics, and in 1944, Muasher versity in Texas and a BA in English Mafraq, Tweisi a post-doctorate from Harvard holds a PhD De- Literature from Yarmouk University, holds a PhD in Law School. He is chairman gree in Business has edited and written for a number Linguistics from of the Jordan Strategy Forum Administration of newspapers, including The Jordan the University of and has served as chairman from Illinois Uni- Times and Al Ghad. Since September Michigan, Ann Ar- of the board of trustees of the versity. He served 2016, he has served as a member of bor, an MA Degree King Abdullah II Fund for De- as minister of na- Rajai Muasher the Senate until his appointment as a Ayman Safadi in Linguistics Adel Tweisi velopment. He has also headed tional economy in minister in Hani Mulki’s Cabinet. Be- from the Univer- the International Commission 1974-75, minister of industry and tween 2008 and 2011, Safadi served as adviser to His sity of Michigan, East Lansing, and for Evaluating Privatisation trade in 1975-76 and minister of Majesty King Abdullah and as deputy prime minister, a BA in English Language and Lit- in Jordan (2013-2014) and led supply, industry and trade in 1985- minister of state and spokesperson for the government.
    [Show full text]
  • Meeting Report
    UNITED NATIONS E Distr. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIMITED COUNCIL E/ESCWA/SDPD/2018/WG.11/Report 2 January 2019 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) Report ETC Session: Technology and Innovation for Agriculture Development/ Eighth Scientific Agricultural Conference (ESAC-2018) Karak, Jordan, 15-17 October 2018 Summary ESCWA supported the Eighth Scientific Agricultural Conference (ESAC-2018) entitled "Agricultural Challenges and Sustainable Development" organized by the Faculty of Agriculture at Mutah University, Karak, Jordan during the period 15-17 October 2018. ESCWA Technology Centre (ETC) in cooperation with ICARDA organized and conducted a dedicated session on “Technology and Innovation for Agricultural Development” during (ESAC-2018). The main objective of this session is to exchange views of regional and international experts on how to use technology as one of the means of implementation of SDGs to develop a sustainable agricultural sector in the region. The session provided a podium to discuss pathways in which green technology can be used to reduce hunger, enhance prosperity in a region that is characterized by ongoing conflicts and wars. The main key messages and recommendations resulted from this session were concentrated around the importance of fostering and enhancing research projects related to sustainable agriculture, utilizing opportunities in technology and innovation in the field of sustainable agriculture to contribute to the global food security, and engaging academia in policy formulation for sustainable agriculture. ___________________________ Note: This document has been reproduced in the form in which it was received, without formal editing. 19-00004 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 3 I. CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD ..............................................................
    [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]