THE NEIGHBOR BEFORE THE HOUSE: JORDAN’S INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DRIVERS REGARDING THE REFUGEE CRISIS © 2019 By Katherine G. Levingston A thesis presented in partiaL fulfiLLment of the requirements for completion Of the BacheLor of Arts degree in InternationaL Studies Croft Institute for InternationaL Studies SaLLy McDonneLL BarksdaLe Honors ColLege The University of Mississippi University, Mississippi May 2019 Approved: ______________________________ Advisor: Ms. Ashleen WiLLiams ______________________________ Reader: Dr. Joshua Howard ______________________________ Reader: Dr. Timothy RusseLL © 2019 Katherine G. Levingston ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I Wish to thank my parents Jon and Jennifer Levingston, my sisters, and my friends, for their unwavering support during this past year of researching and Writing this thesis. I am forever grateful for their constant Love and support, as WeLL as their enthusiasm for reading multiple drafts and offering constructive feedback. Ashleen WiLLiams, my thesis advisor, provided me incredible guidance during this process. I thank my second and third readers, Dr. Joshua Howard and Dr. Tim RusseLL, for their many considerable contributions. This committee of outstanding scholars heLped me to produce this Work. I am indebted to each of them for sharing their invaLuable skiLLs and knowLedge with me. FinaLLy, I Want to express my gratitude to the SaLLy McDonneLL BarksdaLe Honors ColLege and the Croft Institute for InternationaL Studies. Both of these outstanding institutions have provided me the abiLity to expand my education and appreciation for the rest of the World around me through enriching cLasses and the opportunity to traveL to Jordan. My time in Jordan peaked my interest in the topic of this thesis, enabling me to begin the work refined by my committee. iii Abstract Jordan has the second highest number of refugees in the World per capita next to Lebanon and reLies very heaviLy on aid from the GLobaL community, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union (EU). Furthermore, they Lack a LegaL frameWork regarding the high amount of refugees that inhabit the country. This raises the question: What are the drivers of Jordanian refugee policy? I argue that the drivers of Jordan’s current refugee policies are their internaL pressures, Which are Jordan’s ongoing Water crisis, unemployment, and education, as WeLL as externaL funding that comes from their reLiance on the UNHCR and aLLies, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Using a quaLitative approach, I explored Jordan’s main points of concern, regarding their security and the WeLLbeing of its inhabitants. My data consists of GLobaL policies created by the UNHCR and other entities in colLaboration With Jordan; the United States and the United Kingdom government Websites; and the UNHCR and EU Websites. Through my research, I discover that externaL pressures, border security and internationaL aid (monetary and humanitarian) are directLy reLated to these internaL pressures, as they directLy affect Jordan’s nationaL security and foreign reLations. Furthermore, by not having a nationaL refugee policy, Jordan is internationaLizing the crisis, providing a gateWay for assistance from the rest of the world. iv Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction……..…………………….………………………….…………1 1.1. Background………………………………...……..………………….……….3 1.2. Jordan’s ReLationship With the UNHCR……...……..……………….………..4 1.3. Methodology..…………………………….……….……………………….....8 1.4. RevieW of the Literature………………..………………………….……….....8 1.5. ConcLusion…………....…………...…………………………………….…...15 Chapter TWo: Jordan’s Refugee Policies………………………………………………....16 2.1. Residence and Foreigners’ Affairs LaW No. 24 of 1973…...………………...17 2.2. The Jordan Compact: A Work in Progress………………………….……..…18 2.3. The Jordan Response PLan: Why it could be more successful than the Jordan Compact……..………………………………………………….……23 2.4. AnaLysis and Discussion……………………………………….…………….25 Chapter Three: Jordan’s InternaL Pressures…………………………….………………...30 3.1. The Ongoing Water Crisis and Syrian Refugees’ Effect on it……………......31 3.2. Unemployment and its Role With the Jordanian Economy………….……….34 3.3. Education……………………………...……………………..……………....39 Chapter Four: Jordan’s ExternaL Pressures…………………………...…………..……....42 4.1. Border Security………...………………………………………….................42 4.2. InternationaL Aid.…………………...…………….………….………………46 4.3. AnaLysis and Discussion..…………...…………………....….………………51 Chapter Five: ConcLusion…………………………………………………….…………..54 Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………58 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………..59 v Chapter One: Introduction In March of 2011 the Syrian CiviL War broke out, and over 620,000 Syrians sought refuge in Jordan.1 With 6.6 miLLion internaLLy displaced Syrians and over 5.6 miLLion externaLLy displaced,2 the Middle East became the Largest producer and host of displaced people in the World.3 Jordan has a population of 9,983,014,4 and for every 1,000 people, there are 89 refugees from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, SomaLia, and other countries, in Jordan, Which is the second highest number refugees in the World per capita5 second to its regionaL neighbor, Lebanon.6 As of February 2018, 740,160 refugees are Living in Jordan, and 89 percent of those are Syrians registered With the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).7 The UNHCR plays an extensive role in Jordanian refugee policy. Jordan reLies very heaviLy on the UNHCR for assistance With its high concentration of refugees. Because of the high number of refugees, it raises the question: What are the drivers of Jordanian refugee policy? Jordan does not have a LegaL frameWork regarding its refugees, Which contributes to policies that do not explicitLy define Who is considered a refugee or their role in Jordanian society, increasing tensions betWeen the country and the refugees. 1 Francis, ALexandra. "Jordan's RefuGee Crisis." CarneGie Endowment for InternationaL Peace. September 21, 2015. Accessed September 25, 2018. http://carnegieendowment.org/2015/09/21/jordan-s-refuGee-crisis-pub-61338. 2 "Who We Are - UNHCR Jordan." UNHCR. Accessed September 09, 2018. http://WWW.unhcr.org/jo/Who-we-are. 3 Jordan Fact Sheet. PDF. UNHCR. 4 “Jordan Population 2018.” Total Population by Country 2018, worLdpopuLationreview.com/countries/jordan-population/. 5 Jordan Fact Sheet. PDF. UNHCR. 6 “UNHCR Lebanon Who We Are and What We Do.” UNHCR, UNHCR, 2018, SprinG, www.unhcr.orG/Lb/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2018/04/Who-we-are-and-what-we-do_Apr18_EN.pdf. 7 Jordan Fact Sheet. PDF. UNHCR. Levingston 1 The cLosest policy Jordan has to addressing refugees is the Residence and Foreigners’ Affairs LaW no. 24 of 1973, Which simply equates refugees to foreigners.8 Thirty three years Later, in 2016, the Jordan Compact Was created and signed at the London Conference in 2016 by colLaboration With United Nations, the United Kingdom, Germany, Kuwait, and Norway. The Jordan Compact highlighted the integration of Syrian refugees into the business sector and the education system.9 ULtimateLy, the policy Was not satisfactory, and, in 2018, the Jordan Response PLan (JRP) Was formed. Jordanian government officiaLs, deveLopment partners, UN agencies, and InternationaL Non- GovernmentaL Organizations (INGO) Wrote the JRP, and it covers various aspects of Jordanian Life, incLuding education, LiveLihoods, and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene).10 The tWo Latter policies are targeted towards refugees registered With the UNHCR and Were created aLongside other members of the GLobaL community. Jordan does not officiaLLy recognize refugees. Rather, the Jordanian government refers to them as ‘visitors’, ‘irregular guests’, ‘Arab brothers’ or just ‘guests.’ None of these terms are LegaLLy recognized under domestic LaWs.11 Because of this Lack of recognition and the fact that these policies are not laWs of Jordan, they are treated as globaL policies. My topic is reLevant in today’s society, because, on a domestic LeveL, this refugee crisis is a pressing issue that Jordanians deaL With on a daiLy basis in reLation to 8 SaLiba, and Issam. "Refugee Law and Policy: Jordan." Apple Computers: This Month in Business History (Business Reference Services, Library of ConGress). March 01, 2016. 9 BarbeLet, Veronique, et aL. “The Jordan Compact: Lessons Learnt and ImpLications for Future RefuGee Compacts.” Overseas Development Institute, Feb. 2018, wWW.odi.orG/sites/odi.orG.uk/files/resource- documents/12058.pdf. 10 Jordan Response Plan for the Syria Crisis 2018-2020. static1.squarespace.com/static/522c2552e4b0d3c39ccd1e00/t/5ab356be8a922d5e4a011975/152170259849 5/JRP+Final+Copy+21-3.pdf. 11 SaLiba, and Issam. "Refugee LaW and Policy: Jordan." Apple Computers: This Month in Business History (Business Reference Services, Library of ConGress). March 01, 2016. Levingston 2 unemployment, education, and the depletion of Jordan’s Water resources. From an internationaL standpoint, the UNHCR and other GLobaL entities are making efforts to improve the situation. Jordan’s role in the Syrian refugee crisis affects a Large portion of the World’s population and Jordanian inhabitants’ quaLity of Life. Therefore, it is important to explore the steps Jordan has both taken and not taken to improve the refugee situation. Section 1.1: Background Crown Prince TaLaL of Jordan assumed the throne September 6, 1951, the same year as the 1951 Geneva Conference. Less than a year Later, he had to step down due to heaLth issues. During his reign, King TaLaL