Publications

Where is Jordan's economy heading? - Obstacles and Opportunities

An Economic Policy Analysis for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

In this report Prof. Heuermann analyses the Jordanian economy including the barriers to inclusive economic growth as well as the significant potential of the economy.

The Deal of the Century and Jordan's Dilemma

In this article Suha Maayeh explains Jordan's dilemma when it comes to the "Deal of the Century". Trump’s "Deal of the Century" is supposed to end the decade long Israeli-Palestinian conflict by suggesting the final borders of Israel, Israeli-Palestinian political relations, the status of Jerusalem and the future of 5.4 million Palestinian refugees. Although the content of the deal has not yet been revealed, Palestinians fear that it would end their hope for an independent Palestinian state in the 1967 borders in the framework of a two-state-solution. While Saudi-Arabia and the United Arab Emirates seem to be supporting the deal, Jordan – a major US ally in the Middle East and the state with the longest Arab-Israeli border – feels it has been left out of consultations by the American side and it has voiced its disapproval of any deal that would not realize the two-state solution. With a Palestinian-majority population, Jordan, which is, however, a major recipient of US aid, will face a serious dilemma if the "Deal of the Century" will follow along the above mentioned lines.

Secular and Islamist Political Elites: The Role of Inter-Elite Trust and its Impact on Political Transformation in Tunisia and Egypt after the Arab Spring

This article analyses why the political transformations following the Arab Spring took different paths in Egypt and Tunisia. Based on data from field interviews conducted between 2012 and 2018 as well as press analyses, we argue that a strong factor why Tunisia was more successful in establishing democracy is that it had a higher level of inter-elite trust. Moreover, we show that the establishment of inter-elite trust depends on the presence of functioning trust-building arenas during the transition and the early democratic consolidation period. To investigate the role of inter-elite trust, we develop a theoretical-analytical framework, drawing on Arab Spring literature, transition theory, scholarship on democratic consolidation, and research on trust.

The Impact of the Syria Crisis on Jordan's Terrorist Threat

Dr. Amer Al Sabaileh analyses the internal and external terrorist threats to Jordan that result from the Syria Crisis.

Organizational Split and Radicalization within Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

Internal structural changes and ideological rifts have given rise to new strategies for legitimizing violence.

Survey: The Syrian Conflict, Migration and the Refugee Crisis in Jordan

A survey was conducted in November 2018, covering a sample comprising of 1,305 Jordanians and 600 Syrian refugees in Jordan. They answered questions about their opinions regarding the Syrian conflict, the refugee crisis, migration and the Jordan-Syria border.

EU-Jordan Trade Agreement

Overview and Implementation Status

In February 2016, as the Syria refugee crisis started to peak, the international community held a conference in London to discuss a joint response to the crisis: It heralded a decisive paradigm shift in European development cooperation, away from short-term emergency aid to long-term strengthening of initial host country resilience. A core outcome of the conference was the Jordan Compact — an agreement between Jordan, the European Union, and the World Bank. This study aims to give an overview on Jordan’s economy and to reflect on the progress of the Compact implementation two years on.

#JordanStrikes

Protests and Government Change in the Hashemite Kingdom

The protests in Jordan that began with a nationwide strike on Wednesday, May 30th, were the largest, most sustained in years, and were supported by a broad base of the population. Thousands of people organised on social media using hashtags such as #JordanStrikes. The protests were the immediate reaction to the Amended Income Tax Draft Law that was meant to address the kingdom’s serious debt and fiscal deficit by increasing revenue through taxes. Yet, frustration had long built up in the population as the economy of Jordan has been in decline for years.

Country portrait Jordan: Forms of extremism

From an exporter to a target of Islamist fighters?

While Jordan was not a primary target of Islamist terror in the past, relevant jihadist fighters and thinkers come from Jordan, such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, former al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, who was killed in 2006 by an American air strike in Iraq, or the Palestinian-Jordanian Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, who is considered one of the most influential jihadist ideologues in the world.

Das gesellschaftliche Stimmungsbild im Nahen Osten

Wie schauen Israelis, Jordanier und Palästinenser auf politische Veränderungen im Nahen Osten?

Im August 2017 eröffneten drei arabische Israelis am nördlichen Zugang des Jerusalemer Tempelbergs/Haram ash-Sharif das Feuer auf israelische Grenzpolizisten.