Dhiban as Barometer of Jordan’s Rural Discontent Dhiban shares with much of rural Jordan a long history of seismic societal shifts and gradual economic marginalization. This history forebodes continued unrest in underdeveloped areas as long as economic problems remain unaddressed. Colfax Phillips • 15 min read
MER Article Exposing Jordan’s Gas Deal with Israel The Jordanian government has gone to great lengths to hide information about its 2014 multi-billion dollar gas deal with Israel from the public. But the government’s attempt to keep the public in the dark has only energized a popular campaign demanding full disclosure of its terms. Hisham Bustani • 11 min read
Current Analysis Making the Economy Political in Jordan’s Tax Revolts The Jordanian citizenry remain unwilling to pay more taxes. The old system no longer works, but the way forward demands that Jordan’s leaders address the need for substantive reforms in both the economic and political systems that currently govern Jordanian lives. Any new social contract between the Laith Fakhri Al-Ajlouni, Allison Spencer Hartnett • 9 min read
MER Article Amman Amman has absorbed influxes of refugees for decades, each perpetuating political and cultural tensions in a country already fragmented by tribal allegiances. While these divisions provide an easy scapegoat as to why the country continues to struggle financially, politically and developmentally, stat Eliana Abu-Hamdi • 9 min read
MER Article Refugee Rights Hit the Wall The expansion of humanitarian aid in Syria and its neighboring states has gone hand-in-hand with a growing restriction on refugees’ right of movement and ever-stricter control over refugees’ personal information and biometric data. UNHCR and the Syrian and Jordanian governments share two interests i Sophia Hoffmann • 8 min read
Current Analysis “Do You Know Who Governs Us? The Damned Monetary Fund” What had started as protests over a taxation draft law and an increase in gas prices quickly led to a popular uprising against the neoliberal path on which the state has embarked. Sara Ababneh • 16 min read
Current Analysis The Fiscal Politics of Rebellious Jordan Activism in the modern Arab world saw its peak in the Spring of 2011, but Jordanians have returned to the streets in a new round of protests triggered by recent economic policies and long standing grievances. How should we understand these protests? Pete Moore • 10 min read
MER Article Reviving Activism in Jordan In January 2011, hundreds and sometimes thousands of Jordanians began protesting like clockwork on Friday afternoons; they continued to do so for nearly two years. The crowds were small compared to those in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Bahrain, but the turnout was sustained and marked a significant upt Curtis Ryan • 10 min read
MER Article Sudanese and Somali Refugees in Jordan In late 2015, hundreds of Sudanese staged a sit-in outside the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Amman, Jordan. Their hope was to obtain recognition of their rights as refugees and asylum seekers, and to receive better treatment from the agency. A previous protest in 2014 ha Emma Murphy, Will Todman, Abbie Taylor, ROCHELLE DAVIS • 25 min read
Current Analysis Jordan Drops the Pretense of Democratic Reform Despite promises otherwise, in the past four years, King ‘Abdallah has peeled the veneer of parliamentary governance off an increasingly autocratic system. Jillian Schwedler • 4 min read
MER Article Putting Refugee Work Permits to Work For decades, humanitarian experts and international organizations have called upon host countries to give more work permits to refugees. Permits are posed as a way to alleviate the poverty of refugees and lessen their dependency on aid. Host countries have traditionally shunned the notion, however, fearing the creation of permanent Vicky Kelberer • 5 min read
MER Article Oasis in the Desert? From the summer of 2012 through 2014, there were rapid influxes of refugees from Syria into the Zaatari camp in Jordan. The camp’s population spiked in early 2013—from 56,000 in January to a peak of 202,000 just four months later—overwhelming the UN High Commissioner for Charles Simpson, Denis Sullivan • 17 min read
