In today’s Al-Hayat, Mohamed Abu Raman wrote an op-ed on Jordanian security. Its similar to one he write for Al-Jazeera.net about four weeks ago (summarized here by MediaShack).
Summary
Jordanian officials understand that their security depends upon the stability of Iraq and inclusion of the Sunni community in Iraqi politics. Jordan, as Iraq’s close neighbor faced a series of major security challenges because of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. The most urgent was that Iraq’s Sunni regions had become a base for al-Qaeda who used it to send suicide bombers against Jordan. The last straw for the Jordanian government was the 2005 Amman hotel bombings. In response, they adopted a more proactive strategy and sent special military units into the Sunni provinces to destroy Al-Qaeda. This special unit played a role in the operation to kill Zarqawi.
However, Jordan’s security goes beyond ridding Iraq of Al-Qaeda. According to one former security official, the government is worried about Iran. It is also against a US withdrawal which will bring instability and the possibility of a million refugees trying to enter Jordan. Faced with these security issues the Jordanians had two possible strategies. The first-Send their ”forces” into Anbar province, to prevent any security threats from arriving at its border and also to prevent any refugees from trying to go to Jordan. The second: do so with a less visible military presence. This was what inspired Jordan to participate directly in the formation of the Awakening movement, which serves as a sort of buffer zone against the Shia threat. … Jordan played a major role as an intermediary between the Americans and Sunni forces such as Iraqi Hamas, the Jihad and Reform Front, the Islamic Army and the Mujahadeen Army. Due to these efforts, Jordan’s security has improved but still depends directly upon the security situation in Iraq. If it is stabilized, and the Sunnis are integrated their security situation will be ok. But if Iraq destabilizes again Jordan will face the same problems.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Iraq, Jordan, Jordanian Politics, Jordanian Security
[...] is in proximity to Shia populations, the greater the perceived political threats. Check out these articles from Jordan’s Mohamed Abu Mazen which suggest the differences are political not [...]