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. 

Development and Uncertainty

I am sitting on a hill in Al-Salt, a small city neighboring Amman, overlooking Jerusalem, Nablus, and Bethlehem. If I drive two hours North of here, I would be in Dara’a, a Syrian city where most of the violence has been taking place since the beginning of the Syrian conflict. If I make a similar trip East, I would find myself in Iraq. This makes me wonder, what is the shape of development in cities surrounded by such instability and unpredictability? More importantly, how do we create and prepare institutions that can manage such challenges?

Pointing at Jerusalem

Jordan’s fast population growth, water scarcity, and economic difficulties are further exacerbated by the conflicts that surround it. Jordan sees a constant influx of refugees from its neighboring countries like Iraq and Palestine, and in the past year Jordan received refugees from Syria and Libya. That along with internal political, economic, and social struggles there is a lot of pressure on NGO’s, private, and public institutions to overcome existing and potential challenges against development.

While the prospects seem gloomy, I think that the Jordanian population will manage to recover from such political and humanitarian crises like it did during the several regional wars the country was affected by, namely the Gulf War, the War on Iraq in 2003, as well as the different conflicts between Arab and Israeli armies since 1948. I find that here, the population’s resilience against political and economic shocks, and their willing humanitarian response is admirable. More importantly, I think that Jordan like most of the Middle East has long faced uncertain challenges, which makes such unpredictability a little familiar. I will be hoping for the best. 

Introducing student loans in Jordan

In a meeting with the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Jordan, Dr. Wajih Oweis, we discussed a mechanism in which we can establish a publicly funded student financial assistance program. Our discussion was driven by the real need for such a program in Jordan. We estimated that in the academic year 2012-2013 about 40,000 students will require need-based financial aid in the form of student loans.

On the other hand, it is estimated that 80% of university graduates remain unemployed in their first year after graduation, in the absence of a national credit law, and with rising financial austerity how can we address this need? More importantly, our proposed solution must ensure that these financial assistance programs do not exclude the poor.

Over the past two weeks, I met with different financial and economic experts to discuss this and to hopefully prepare a suitable solution in the near future. 

(Photo courtesy of Ammonnews.net) 

Untapped Talent

My plane landed in Amman, Jordan on May 7^th, 2012. The beautiful sunny (and dry) afternoon in Amman was a welcome change from Ann Arbor’s unpredictable weather. On my drive back from the airport, amidst the sounds of heavy traffic, pedestrian activity, and my sisters’ excited chatter around me, the call to prayer rose in the background announcing the sunset. There is something about Amman, the energy, the chaos, and hints of frustration that make it so unique.

I worked in Jordan for two years prior to joining the University of Michigan. In October 2010, I met Amir in Amman. Amir worked two jobs, commuted from Jerash two hours north of Amman, and was supporting five children, two of whom were university students. We worked in the same building and I often saw him in the elevator, a few months later he confessed to me the difficulty he was facing supporting his family financially and the real burden college tuition has become on his family.

As I returned to my office, sincerely bothered by his troubles, I just wanted to find ways to help. I realized he was not the only one, in fact, I soon learned that only about 16% of Jordanian families can afford higher education in Jordan. That being said, programs and organizations that provided student loans have not been able to reach anywhere near the capacity needed. Will Amir win the battle against his circumstances? Will he be able to finance the education of his five children? And what about the other 84% of Jordanian fathers? With access to higher education seemingly limited to a few, how many opportunities, in the shape of untapped talent, is Jordan’s economy missing out on?

The following year, I started my graduate degree at the University of Michigan, and I am lucky enough to be chosen as a William Davidson Institute fellow this summer, working with Vittana, a non-governmental organization that provides student loans in developing countries. Vittana partners with microfinance institutions in the countries they serve, and their loans are funded by lenders on their website.

This summer, I am addressing the questions I started to ask two years ago. I am hopeful and optimistic.