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Like most states, the majority of Jordan’s day-to-day foreign policy centers on the
business of protecting the country’s immediate interests and promoting the short-term
welfare of its citizens. However, the Hashemite leadership has also pursued another track
designed to promote the long-term rejuvenation of the Arab world. Jordan’s vision of
the desired Arab order can be distilled from the speeches, remarks and statements of both
the late King Hussein and his brother, Prince El Hassan. They call for an Arab world which
guarantees democracy, human rights and political participation; social justice in dealing
with the wide gap between the “haves” and “have-nots”; recognition
that Arab security is indivisible; relations between Arab countries based on cooperation
and respect, not dominance; and, the resolution of territorial disputes between Arab
states. Essential to the Jordanian vision is the importance of being open-minded to the
outside world and remaining aware of the constraints imposed by the current international
order.
The promotion of these
long-term objectives has sometimes conflicted with Jordan’s pursuit of its immediate
interests. As a small state with very limited resources and a growing population, Jordan
must safeguard its interests by maintaining good relations with neighboring countries as
well as global powers. Jordan must thus play a balancing act between the two tracks of its
foreign policy, safeguarding the immediate interests of its citizens while promoting the
rebirth of the Arab world and the well-being of the region. |
