Jordan

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The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a desert country with few energy resources and even less water, seems to have survived all: regional wars, lost territory, influxes of refugees which overwhelmed the local population, and a conflict with those refugees. Even during the Arab Spring, which swept through the region supplanting and shaking decades-old regimes, Jordan experienced waves of protests but no revolution.

The monarchy has skillfully consolidated power since Jordan’s independence in 1947—in part by eliciting outside support from Western governments and regional governments alike. Appreciated by many as a vital state in a volatile neighborhood, Jordan has survived by drawing millions, and then billions, of dollars in external aid. By using the proceeds of that assistance to carefully appease powerful tribes and distribute a generous mix of subsidies and public sector jobs, the government has been able to withstand decades of la-tent discontent, but not without a cost. Relative to the size of its economy, the Jordanian government’s spending is among the highest in the world.1

This is the Jordan section of Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East. Please click here for the full report.