As the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Tikrit fall into the hands of Al Qaeda-influenced jihadists, Jordan will serve as a crucial buffer from the terrorist movements that threaten to spill over into the region.

As fighters join Al Nusra and ISIL at an alarming rate, the Jordanian government responds with new anti-terrorism measures.

Popular opinion in the Hashemite Kingdom over Syria is divided. Many Jordanians support the insurgency against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but some oppose it and many others have grown skeptical over time, as the spillover from Syria to Jordan increases.

There is a risk that the flow of weapons and fighters from Jordan into Syria will contribute to lawlessness and insecurity in Jordan, and the spillover of the hundreds of thousands of Syrians refugees into Jordan is likely to continue.

Economic and demographic strains from the Syrian refugee crisis are impacting Jordan’s own domestic balance of power.