Conflicted media reports had circulated all day long from Amman. We do not know yet if the trilateral meeting will be held as scheduled between the King, Bush and Maliki. Media agencies stated that the meeting had been cancelled since the King met already with AL Maliki earlier today. However the timing of this announcement was accompanied with a new memo written by the National Security advisor;Stephen Hadley. The memo which had been leaked to the media this morning outlines steps the United States could take to strengthen al-Maliki, including sending more U.S. troops to boost security in Baghdad but also questions the Prime Minister's ability to lead in Iraq. In brief, America is losing confidence in him. He is weak home and overseas and with the current security situation in Iraq, all indications point out that his time in office will be very short.
Along with the visit, thousands of Jordanians are planing to protest Bush's visit to the kingdom. Bush's unpopularity in Jordan does not surprises anybody including him, but Jordanians need to understand that with two or potentially three civil wars erupting closely to its borders, the US financial and military support is essential for our national security. If "Jordan is first"; a slogan that we all believe in, then all these protests should be civil and peaceful. Jordan's image and reputation as a secure and hostpitable state are tested today and the government should protect this image with all means. May be Mahmoud Abbas was right after all when he said that bread comes before democracy.
12 comments:
What civil wars you mean the ones we are inciting in saying things like (Hillal Shee3i)...
lool yeah king abdullah is inciting a geo-political civil war that involves sunni and shi3a forces..promising to be one of the biggest historical clashes to touch the region since the crusades...
...in other news, king abdullah is also to blame for global warming, the lochness monster and the fact that airplane penuts come in those damn small tinfoil packages you can never open.
Nas, you made me laugh.
Anon, are you saying that Jordan is to be blame for the sectarian violence in Iraq? Listen from all the countries in the region, Jordan is the most affected period. We depend heavily on Iraqi oil and we have a problem with radicalism. Unlike other countries in the region such as Syria and Iran who are threatned by the American forces close by their borders, Jordan really have a stake of having strong moderate stable Iraq. If you have another theory, please enlighten us.
There are many factors no doubt, and it aint about the sectarian violence in Iraq arent we talking here about the three civil wars. In Palestine we are trying to undermine a democraticaly elected goverment and sending the JOrdanian based Badr brigades, to beef up Abbas in a civil war. As for Lebanon we say stupid things like "moghamara ghair ma7sooba" and support an American puppet goverment in Lebanon. Then we say its a Shiite crescent or "Maad Farisi" to scare poor innocent Jordanian minds that the Iranian monster is going to get you. I think all the arab regimes including Jordan wants a geo-political war atleast a proxy one in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine because they can coverup the side they are supporting as being anti-shiite or anti-persian, instead of pro-american. See they want it to be a Sectarian regional war because it would hide the real sides of the war which are Islamic and nationalist groups against American puppets. Iraq is a mess i dont like to talk about and its probably the least country we have an intrest to see civil war in. Anyways open the newspapers everyonce in a while and u will see the bullshit they write about how Jordanians are becoming shiites or some other dumb ploy to change the general mood in the country that is supportive of Hizballah or Hamas or Iran. Its a start for the propaganda of the war. See its two birds with one stone, first if there is a regional war they would recruit all the opposition including extreme sunni groups to their side against Iran, Syria, Hizballah which are all seen as a shiite crescent second if there is a regional war then they would halt all the democratization process they are being pressured by opposition groups in Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to continue.
Nas sarcasim is funny but it doesnt change the facts.
Anon, good hypothetical analysis but not there is not so much substance in your coment. First,Jordan's economy is very dependant on two sectors mainly: Tourism and Business( the latter include getting prefered oil prices from Iraq). Those two sectors will be devastated beyond repari if any regional or local war start in the region, so there is no interest of what so ever for the Jordanian governmetn to wish for a regional war to start becuase that will devastate the economy and ultimately weaken the regime. Second, the uncessay statments as you called them, are pure fact and do not someone to have PhD to realize the Shite is gaining power in the region as a whole. There is a rise in Islamic radicalsim in general and poltical empoweremtn particulary for the shitte in many countreis such as lebanon, Iraq and Bahrain. Regarding halting the deomcratization process in Jordan, I do not think that government needs a cause or a new development to do so. The government enjoyed a huge majority within the Parlimant and there are no indciation that things will change even in the next upcoming election.
Ok now im really pissed i was writing this long shit and i closed the window by mistake...First of all its not hypothetical but u dont accept a 19 year old to show you intelligence reports or evidence of whats happening. If their was to be a war it might not be a regional one between all the countries it might be proxy wars in the three countries stated. As for the Jordanian economy dont worry if their is going to be a regional war we will get more than 600m from America since we are fighting its war and from the rest of the gulf countries just as they gave money to Saddam during his war with Iran the war the Jordanian economy greatly profited from. So ya the tourism sector might be damaged bas aslan it is dependent on arab and not foreigners ever since the second Intifada and that wont change. As for whats happening in Bahrain, Lebanon and Iraq and im going to add egypt and Palestine its called democracy and not a Shiite crescent or "Mad Farisi" Bahrain is 95% shiite you expect them to not to vote in a shiite. As for the so called radical islam if u agree on the second part of the name then its good its a rise of political Islam not Shiite's regardless of whether u are happy about it or not. Hamas and the muslim brotherhood in egypt are Sunni as much as sunni can be they are the real sunnis and not secular dictatorships that were appointed by America to "defend Sunnis". What the shiite crescent is, it is a nationalist crescent or "Mad Wa6ani" it is that what scares them. The regimes at Nassers time used to accuse nationalsts of being communists and now the new accusation since the new nationalsts have an Islamic ideology they are being accused of being Shiites or Iranian agents. The so-called shiite crescent is more representive of the sunni arabs problems, issues and goals than the (Sunni-defending regimes). But the Americans who have lost in Iraq cannot face Iran so they are stirring the arab (sunni) regimes to attack Iran or face it in a proxy war in these three countries. Just like they made Saddam do in the 80's oh as they say "Fokhar ikasir ba3do". As for the name sunni arab regimes they are not, they are also not scared from Iran or Shiites they are scared from sunni Islamic groups and nationalists in their country's the whole shiite thing is so that they get the Sunni Islamists on their side against Iran. Ana oh akhoi 3ala ibn 3ami, and for those Islamist who dont join their ranks and are aware of whats being woven they are going to be accused of being Iranian agents or something similar its already happening in the Jordanian media. As for the democratizing process the pressure is getting bigger on the goverments although we always see the parilamant as a stage for royalists to lie that we have democracy, the opposition in all its political spectrum is rising and gaining power in all arab countries including Jordan so such a war would be a blow to their goals of reform in their countries. As for "radical Islam" its better for them to be in the political process than to be blowing themselves up.
I am a politcal realist. I believe that nations' politics are motivated by their interests, so I won't apologize about the Jordanian and the American interesets in the region. Of course Jordan has an interest of stablity and moderation in the region.
Regarding the rise of democracy in the region as you named it. All of what you have to look at is Iran political system. If simialr government following the Mullah Iranian style rise up in the reigion, this will bad for everyone. Governments should be led by Technocrats, not by Imams who invite their "naive followers" to fight their senseless war bydonating them keys to paradise to do so
If you are a realist than u should accept the realist thought which states that small countries tend to enter into alliances to counter large and powerful countries like America. So then this crescent they talk about is not religously motivated or a shiite rise, but common intrests to counter the American influence. Why do u feel that u have to apologize or defend what America and Jordan are doing. You talk about it as if Jordanian and American intrests are parallel they are not our interests are not those of America. Ofcourse Jordans interests are those of stability and moderation thats why our policies now which are biased are not in our interests. As for the Iranian theocratic system im not here to defend it and if we want a future away from this kind of system we should have political reform because as history shows the only thing people resolve to when they are opressed is religion. As for the keys to paradise it was a Khomeini ploy to help the moral of his soldeirs in the Iran/Iraq war and to generalize that all Islamic politicians would do the same is not fair. As for the Islamic politicians most of them in fact are technocrats most of their prominent leaders are doctors or engineers. Why do u think they always win the Trade Unions leaderships. Anyways what we are talking about here aint about Political Islam its about the shiite crescent they are shouting about everyday, Which doesnt exist. If we are to be moderate and seek stability we shouldnt fall into this regional war America is trying to push us into along with Saudia Arabia and Egypt to weaken Iran for Israeli and American intresets which (i repeat are not ours).
Anon,
Jordan wants a strong, stable, moderate, and unified Iraq. Having wrestled with the dilemmas of an assertive Iraq for many years, Jordan—like Iraq's other neighbors—now faces a myriad of challenges presented by a weak Iraq. The kingdom, for years a linchpin in the U.S. strategy to promote peace and stability in the region, is now less secure in the wake of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Jordanian leaders worry that Iraq is becoming a haven for terrorist groups, a fear dramatically heightened by the November 2005 suicide bombings in Amman. Jordan also has an interest in the development of an Iraq that does not inspire radical Islamist politics in Jordan.
Sami, u mean the Jordan backed U.S. led occupation of Iraq. The fact they didnt comprehend Iraq would be weak, unstable, radical if it was to be invaded by America in 2003 is very sad. It doesnt mean shit for you to go talking about what our interests are because our interests werent in America invading Iraq, politicaly or economicaly or even security wise. Yet we still supported an invasion. So whats in Jordans interests isnt always what the policies our goverment are following. To tell me that its in our interest to see a "strong, stable, moderate, and unified Iraq" doesnt mean our policies are seeking to acheive these things.
Yes the government seeks a stable Iraq anon. Unstable Iraq means a security threat to Jordan. Once terrorists get hold of Iraq, do you think that they will stop there? Moderate Jordan will be the next hit.
Hi Issam,
Please send me your email address
Khalidah
Jordan Planet
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