The Jordanian Arab Spring

In July, I met with some members of Le Café Politique Amman, a group that started out as a small secret Facebook group that now flourished to include about 2000 Jordanians from all walks of life united by their belief in Jordan and progress. We met with Dr. Marwan Muasher, previously Jordan’s foreign minister who was also Jordan’s first Ambassador in Israel.  Dr. Muasher’s long political career aided by his time as vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment and his well-respected and approachable personality make him an especially valuable resource for many young Jordanians looking to become politically involved.

Dr. Marwan spoke candidly about the Kingdom’s tight decision-making circle, lack of pluralism in Jordanian politics, and most importantly lack of organization among the few budding political parties. This is a link to the meeting's video. 

I found most fascinating his remarks on how no government in the Arab world gave diversity any attention. While I know it is true, I find it rather ironic since the region has always been a diverse medley of religions and ethnicities – that alone is proof that many Arab governments do not represent the societies they govern. It seems that in modern times, many Arab governments sidelined political participation and social equality and really only focused on economic development. This entrenched the limited circles of executive power, intensified income inequality, and increased corruption, all of which are supported by the strong intelligence machine that continues to interfere in the daily life of citizens.

He stressed that in order to build democratic and sustainable institutions nations affected by the Arab Spring must end their ambiguity to commitment for pluralism. The revolutions are proof that the notion “bread before freedom” no longer holds true and that a serious reform process that does not foster political development alongside economic development is unsustainable.

The “Arab Spring” as a term insinuates a romantic and overtly optimistic notion that the revolutions will propel the states into democracy overnight. We must recognize that the wave of revolutions that hit the region did not come as a surprise (if anything they were well overdue), and that many generations will have to struggle and build before they can accomplish a truly democratic and inclusive state. This change is inevitable, but the timeline and the framework are still unknown. And the daunting question remains, what will it take? 

This is a link to the meeting's video.