Jordan’s close security partnership with the United States is increasingly putting the kingdom on the front line of regional tensions, as American military facilities hosted in the country face repeated Iranian drone and missile attacks.
Hundreds of attempted drone and missile strikes have added pressure on a country already dealing with economic difficulties, regional instability and growing concerns over developments in the neighboring West Bank.
Despite the security risks, Jordanian leaders remain committed to their longstanding relationship with Washington. For decades, Amman has worked to deepen military and security cooperation with the United States while positioning itself as one of the West’s most reliable partners in the Middle East.
Analysts say the partnership also provides Jordan with an important security shield against Iran and efforts by Tehran to expand its influence across the region.
King Abdullah II has repeatedly warned that instability in the Middle East cannot be viewed in isolation.
Speaking to European lawmakers last year, the Jordanian monarch pointed to a series of global and regional crises — from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine to repeated conflicts in the Middle East — as evidence of an increasingly unpredictable security environment.
“We are living through wave after wave of disruption, without pause,” Abdullah said, warning that the consequences of regional instability could spread far beyond the Middle East.
ECONOMIC PRESSURE ADDS TO JORDAN’S CHALLENGES
Jordan, home to more than 11 million people, occupies a strategically sensitive position bordering Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel and the West Bank.
Its geography has made the kingdom an important security partner for Western countries, but it has also exposed Jordan to repeated regional crises.
The country’s economy has struggled under the pressure of hosting large numbers of refugees who fled conflicts elsewhere in the Middle East.
Higher energy prices and inflation have added to those difficulties, while continued regional instability has hurt Jordan’s tourism industry — traditionally an important source of jobs and foreign revenue.
WEST BANK INSTABILITY FUELS NEW FEARS
Developments in the neighboring West Bank are another major concern for Amman.
Increasing violence involving Israeli settlers and Palestinians has raised fears in Jordan that a broader deterioration in security could trigger a new wave of Palestinian displacement.
Approximately 2.8 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, and Jordanian officials have repeatedly expressed concern about any scenario that could force large numbers of people across the border into the kingdom.
For Jordan, maintaining its alliance with Washington therefore represents both a strategic advantage and a growing security risk.
As tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States continue, the kingdom finds itself trying to protect its own stability while remaining one of Washington’s closest partners in an increasingly volatile region.
