As threats in the Middle East continue to loom large, Jordan’s successes in battling ISIS on the frontlines and promoting cooperation in the Middle East have proven critical.
Jordan, which avoided much of the turmoil introduced by the Arab Spring, has served as an indispensible ally for the United States in its efforts to combat ISIS.
“Jordan plays a vital role in addressing virtually all the highest priority challenges the U.S. faces in the Middle East, from countering the threat of Da’esh (ISIS) and supporting a peaceful political transition in Syria, to expanding prosperity across the region,” testified former Ambassador and current State Department official Gerald Feierstein before a House Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee last week.
Following ISIS’ gruesome burning to death of Jordanian air force pilot Muaz al-Kasasbeh in February 2015, Jordan ramped up its airstrikes against ISIS strongholds in Syria. Today, Amman remains an active participant in the coalition and has played a pivotal role in curbing the extremist group’s military advances. “The Jordanians continue to strike ISIL targets in Syria,” noted Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, in January. “The Jordanians, for example, just – I think just took a number of airstrikes just last week.”
Integral to the U.S. air campaign against ISIS has been Jordan’s willingness to grant the U.S. access to its military bases, such as the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in eastern Jordan. Cooperation also extends to special operations forces as units from both countries participate in joint training exercises at the King Abdullah Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC) in Amman, Jordan, a facility the U.S. helped fund and construct in 2009.
In an effort to further enhance coordination, Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited Washington last month to discuss his country’s military strategy against ISIS. The King met with U.S. officials at the Pentagon and members of the Senate and House foreign relations committees. However, he only briefly met with U.S. President Barack Obama during a hastily scheduled meeting at Joint Base Andrews, spawning reports that Obama had slighted the King. Despite the short face-to-face interaction, the King was quick to dismiss any notion of disrespect.
"As for the President, we're in contact all the time," King Abdullah II said. "I've heard there's a feeling that I've been snubbed, and that couldn't be further from the truth.”
All signs point to the U.S.-Jordan relationship remaining strong and continuing to flourish.
Beyond its partnership with the U.S., Jordan has been instrumental in facilitating regional security cooperation.
Jordan’s ties with its neighbor Israel have reached new levels as both countries aim to keep ISIS off their borders. Over the past year, Jordanian and Israeli air force pilots have participated in several joint-training exercises, and Jordan received 16 Cobra helicopters from Israel in support of its anti-ISIS campaign.
Jordan has also increased bilateral relations with Egypt following the ascension of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in June 2014. Jordan’s King Abdullah II was one of the first heads of state to pay an official visit to President Sisi, and the two leaders have since worked to intensify military cooperation. Officials from both countries have also held ongoing discussions about increasing cooperation in the energy sector and maintaining security for an oil pipeline that travels from Egypt to Jordan.
On its eastern front, the Jordanian leadership has worked with the Saudi royal family and the other Gulf States to suppress Iran’s spreading influence. Jordan has actively participated in the Saudi-led air campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, and following the January attacks against the Saudi embassy in Tehran, the Jordanian government summoned the Iranian Ambassador to condemn both the attacks and Iran’s meddling in Arab affairs.
Faced with the threat of ISIS to its north and Iran to its east, Jordan’s geographical location puts it in a key position to foster regional alliances. “Amman is a strategic center for coordination,” explained The Cipher Brief expert Dr. Musa Keilani. With chaos in the Middle East appearing open ended, Jordan’s role in tackling regional security challenges will continue to grow.
Bennett Seftel is the Deputy Director of Editorial at The Cipher Brief.
