Author: Curtis R. Ryan
Affiliation: Appalachian State University
Organization/Publisher: Arab Center, Washington, DC.
Date/Place: July 22, 20217USA
Type of Literature: Article
Word Count: 1993
Link: http://arabcenterdc.org/policy_analyses/king-abdullahs-visit-resetting-american-jordanian-relations/
Keywords: Jordan, Foreign Policy, USA
Brief:
In this article, the writer talks about the visit of King Abdullah II of Jordan to the United States after the tension in US-Jordanian relations during the Trump era, who directed his foreign policy in the Middle East towards Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, ignoring Jordan and the Palestinians and the role they play in the Middle East. King Abdullah’s visit to Washington provided an opportunity to reset relations between the two parties under the new US presidency. Like many other Arab countries, Jordan seeks to increase trade with Syria and hopes the US will give exceptions to the Caesar Act that limits trade in Syria. Jordan no longer supports the embargo on Assad’s Syria, with the Syrian dictator seen as the de facto winner in a long civil war. On the other hand, the US is interested in securing the relationship between Jordan and Israel. Although Jordan accepts the interests of the US from this relationship, it also wants to preserve and ensure its interests by restoring Jordan’s regional role and finding a solution to the Palestinian issue. The US government tends to view Jordan from a strategic perspective and thus remains deeply concerned about the stability and security of the kingdom. Some activists hope that resetting the US-Jordan relationship will include pressure for more realistic rather than cosmetic reforms. According to the writer, the Jordanians also see in this visit the end of the “Deal of the Century”, which Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner had used to marginalize Jordan.
By: Taqwa Abu Kmeil, CIGA Research Assistant
