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Middle East Review of International Affairs

Volume 5, No. 2 - June 2001

 

The Jordanian Army: Between Domestic and External Challenges
by Alexander Bligh *

 

Editor's Summary

Jordan's armed forces have been an effective means for preserving the regime, though they have never been strong enough to spread Jordan's influence in the region, or even independently defend Jordan from external threats. This inadequacy has forced Jordan to rely on various coalitions to ensure its defense. In addition to examining the army's response to previous threats, the author examines the Jordanian regime's attempts to deal with its current and future security challenges.

Introduction

From the 1920s into the twenty-first century, the Jordanian Arab Army (JAA)--originally called the Arab Legion--has served the Hashemite dynasty in eastern Palestine, Trans-Jordan, the Hashemite Kingdom and, since 1967, in the Jordanian Hashemite nation-state that emerged in the wake of the 1967 war. Yet changing political circumstances contributed very little to the nature of strategic risks, real or potential, facing this state.

Domestic, regional and international constraints affect the definition of Jordanian national interests and consequently, the main tasks of the army. While the armed forces are a central factor in Jordanian nationalism the only function they can fulfill on its own is maintaining the incumbent regime against any domestic threat. The Jordanian army cannot guarantee the existence of Jordan on its own and therefore the country, at times of crisis, always requires coalitions with other regional forces.

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Endnotes:

Note *: Alexander Bligh is a senior lecturer at Bar Ilan University, as well as head of the Department of Middle Eastern studies and Director of the Israel National Strategic Assessment Center History at the College of Judea and Samaria. His publications include The Political Legacy of King Hussein (Sussex Academic Press, 2001); From Prince to King: Succession to the throne in modern Saudi Arabia (New York, New York University Press, 1984); "The Intifada and the new political role of the Israeli Arab leadership," Middle Eastern Studies. Vol. 35, No. 1 (January 1999). Back