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Surrounded by tumult in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq, Jordan has appeared to be a bastion of stability in the region. But the waves of the Arab spring have not bypassed the Kingdom, and protests that started in January 2011 increased in scope and intensity this past November with fuel price hikes that impact nearly every Jordanian household.
Economic pressures, a media clampdown, and corruption among the royal elite forced many to the streets, where chants against King Abdullah II have grown louder. With parliamentary elections slated for January 23, the palace hopes to prove that reform is coming, despite a boycott by the country’s largest political party and other popular movements.
Please join a forthcoming discussion of Jordan’s prospects for reform and how the country fits within larger regional dynamics, as fears of spillover from Syria constrain reformists and Gulf states invest heavily in the kingdom’s stability.
Danya Greenfield, Deputy Director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, who participated in a pre-election assessment mission in Jordan in October 2012, will present findings from her recent issue brief on the subject. Joining her is Hisham Melhem, a widely recognized commentator on Arab affairs and Washington bureau chief for Al Arabiya News Channel, and Mohammed Hussainy, director of the Identity Center, a Jordanian organization monitoring the upcoming elections, and the head of the Integrity Coalition for Election Observation.
Moderated by Michele Dunne, Director, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, Atlantic Council, and a board member of the National Endowment for Democracy.
DATE: Thursday, January 17, 2013. TIME: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. A light lunch will be served. LOCATION: Atlantic Council, 1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005. Please click here to RSVP or email hariricenterevents@acus.org.
