The Future of the Protest Movement in Jordan

{
  "authors": [
    "Marwan Muasher"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Arab Awakening"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "Jordan",
    "Levant"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Economy"
  ]
}

In The Media

The Future of the Protest Movement in Jordan

The protest movement in Jordan is fundamentally about opening the political system in Jordan, not economic grievances.

By Marwan Muasher

Published on Feb 10, 2011

Source: France 24

The unrest in Tunisia and Egypt has sparked protest movements throughout the Arab world. In Jordan, protesters have called for a serious political reform process. Marwan Muasher explained to France24 that, since King Abdullah II has come to power, he has presided over seven different governments, each charged with implementing reform and each failing to do so. The political and business elites of the country have worked hard to maintain Jordan’s status quo, Muasher said, and “serious efforts that would widen decision making processes and institute checks and balances have been blocked along the way.”

The Jordanian government's efforts to subsidize basic foodstuffs and raise public-sector wages will not be enough to ameliorate the calls for serious political reform, Muasher said. The economic measures taken by the government in Jordan are only addressing one of the protesters’ grievances. Ultimately, Muasher concluded, these protests are about political reform and democracy, not the economy.

About the Author

Marwan Muasher

Vice President for Studies

Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at Carnegie, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East. Muasher served as foreign minister (2002–2004) and deputy prime minister (2004–2005) of Jordan, and his career has spanned the areas of diplomacy, development, civil society, and communications.

Recent Work

Q&A
The Myriad Problems With the Iran Ceasefire
- +1
  Amr Hamzawy, Andrew Leber, Eric Lob, …
Commentary
The Iran War Is Uncovering the Weakness in U.S.-Gulf Ties
- Marwan Muasher

Political Reform Economy Middle East Jordan Levant

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

Commentary
China Financial Markets
Who Paid for China’s Last Debt Cleanup, and Who Will Pay for the Next?
China’s banking crisis in the 2000s was resolved by transferring the costs to households through financial repression—a decision that recapitalized the banks while exacerbating the structural imbalances that continue to shape the Chinese economy today.
Michael Pettis
Commentary
Emissary
The Xi Doctrine Zeros in on “High-Quality Development” for China’s Economic Future
In the latest Five-Year Plan, the Chinese president cements the shift to an innovation-driven economy over a consumption-driven one.
Damien Ma
Commentary
How China’s Growth Model Determines Its Climate Performance
Rather than climate ambitions, compatibility with investment and exports is why China supports both green and high-emission technologies.
Mathias Larsen
Commentary
What’s New about Involution?
“Involution” is a new word for an old problem, and without a very different set of policies to rein it in, it is a problem that is likely to persist.
Michael Pettis
Commentary
The Chinese Investment Riddle: What Cities Reveal
While China's investment story seems contradictory from the outside, the real answers to Beijing's high-quality growth ambitions are hiding in plain sight across the nation's cities.
Yuhan Zhang

More Work from Carnegie China

Commentary

China Financial Markets

Who Paid for China’s Last Debt Cleanup, and Who Will Pay for the Next?

China’s banking crisis in the 2000s was resolved by transferring the costs to households through financial repression—a decision that recapitalized the banks while exacerbating the structural imbalances that continue to shape the Chinese economy today.

Michael Pettis

Xi walking into a room with people standing and applauding around him

Commentary

Emissary

The Xi Doctrine Zeros in on “High-Quality Development” for China’s Economic Future

In the latest Five-Year Plan, the Chinese president cements the shift to an innovation-driven economy over a consumption-driven one.

Damien Ma

Commentary

How China’s Growth Model Determines Its Climate Performance

Rather than climate ambitions, compatibility with investment and exports is why China supports both green and high-emission technologies.

Mathias Larsen

Commentary

What’s New about Involution?

“Involution” is a new word for an old problem, and without a very different set of policies to rein it in, it is a problem that is likely to persist.

Michael Pettis

Commentary

The Chinese Investment Riddle: What Cities Reveal

While China's investment story seems contradictory from the outside, the real answers to Beijing's high-quality growth ambitions are hiding in plain sight across the nation's cities.

Yuhan Zhang