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Jordan Eyes Increased Involvement in War Against Islamic State

(Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) Aron Lund - In a recent interview with Fox News, King Abdullah II of Jordan declared that his country is at war with the "outlaws of Islam," a reference to the Islamic State. "We stepped up big time. We are at the moment the only Arab country operating in Syria alongside the United States," he said, adding that Jordan is also "the only Arab country operating alongside the Iraqis in Iraq alongside the coalition forces. On April 15, Bassam al-Badareen wrote in al-Quds al-Arabi that Jordan is about to launch a new security strategy labeled "Defense in Depth" that will include cross-border operations on Syrian and Iraqi territory. Jordan's northern and eastern borders now exist only insofar as the Hashemite monarchy is able to police them. King Abdullah seems to want to sensitize Jordanians to the idea that no one else is going to keep their borders safe. An increased role in orchestrating rebel and clan coalitions to firm up border security seems quite likely - and the hard end of that strategy could include hit-and-run raids against hostile forces.
2015-04-21 00:00:00
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