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Jordan Chooses Stability

(Institute for National Security Studies) Oded Eran - On Sep. 20, Jordan held elections for parliament, emerging as an island of stability in a seething Middle Eastern sea. The Muslim Brotherhood, represented in Jordan by the Islamic Action Front, has experienced a change in leadership and an ideological softening since the party boycotted the electoral process in 2010 and 2013. Given that it won 15 seats, it would be accurate to say that in Amman, the refugee camps, Zarka, and Irbid, there is support for the Muslim Brotherhood, but in Jordan, the Brotherhood is not a decisive political power. One reason for the modest success of the Brotherhood may lie in the loathing and fear of the Islamic State on the part of most of the older Jordanian voters (although hundreds of Jordanians have joined the ranks of the Islamic State), which grew stronger following the brutal murder in January 2015 of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh, held captive in Syria by the Islamic State. Furthermore, an internal split in the movement has weakened it. At this stage, the regime has passed the hurdles posed by the social and political awakening of the Arab Spring with success, but it must remain attentive to the public mood reflected in the public discourse. Dr. Oded Eran served as Israel's ambassador to the EU and Jordan.
2016-09-30 00:00:00
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