By Barry Rubin
Earlier this week, The Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth interviewed King Abdallah of Jordan. Here’s how King Abdallah responded to Weymouth’s question, “Do you and other leaders in this area believe you cannot rely on the U.S.?”
He replied:
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“I think everybody is wary of dealing with the West….Looking at how quickly people turned their backs on [Egyptian President Husni] Mubarak, I would say that most people are going to try and go their own way. I think there is going to be less coordination with the West and therefore a chance of more misunderstandings.”
This is devastating. I’m not shocked that the king thinks that way but I am shocked that he says so openly. In other words he isn’t afraid of Obama’s being angry and thinks he has nothing to lose because things aren’t going to be better. That’s how far the situation has deteriorated.
Imagine that instead of going to Jordan (which is also an Arab country in addition to being a pro-American, moderate one) for advice on building the opposition leadership in neighboring Syria, the Obama Administration went to the non-Arab, Islamist Turkish regime!
Jordan is now turning to Saudi Arabia, another country that is no longer relying on Obama, to be its protector and source for financial aid.
Jordan has been the most long-term, consistent ally of the United States in the Arab world, continuously for more than 40 years. Yet the king cannot trust those in the White House any more. They dumped Mubarak, they might dump him.
Therefore, no one will stick his neck out on behalf of U.S. interests or requests. Moreover, they are going their own way. While Washington extolls Islamist forces or things that benefit them in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, and Turkey, they don’t seem to care at all about Israel, Jordan, or Saudi Arabia, the scattered survivors of recent developments and Obama’s pro-Islamist policies.
Iraq’s disinterest in having a continued U.S. troop presence arises from several issues but Baghdad’s determination to go its own way is also connected to this situation. And in Afghanistan, the government knows that it cannot depend on a U.S. government that is not only withdrawing but has subverted the Kabul regime, proven powerless in dealing with Pakistan, and openly talks of political negotiations with the Taliban and even al-Qaida-linked terrorist groups (the Haqqani Network).
The U.S. policy formulated around 1955–allying with moderate Arab monarchies and nationalist regimes–as well as that originating in the 1970s–adding Israel to that list–has been undone by the Obama Administration. When the king of Jordan openly complains you know that U.S. credibility among pro-Western Arabs is pretty close to zero.
Professor Barry Rubin, Director, Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center http://www.gloria-center.org
The Rubin Report blog http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/
He is a featured columnist at PJM http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin/.
Editor, Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal http://www.gloria-center.org
Editor Turkish Studies,http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=t713636933%22
The gulf states invited jordan into a pact, it appears that the main fear is the threat of the iran shiite axis. The israeli palestinian conflict plays into irans hands and increases their power so the sunnis want the palestinian question solvved. Gaza will be separated and aligned with egypt, west bank will be semi autonomous as now and develop like monaco vatican or lictenstein. Israel has the option of deporting fatah, plo to gaza as the oslo breach nullifies their return to the west bank from exile in tunisia.
Arabs now consider Obama to be irrelevant. A timid, indecisive flunky with no ideas and no follow through. The Jordanian king obviously has no respect for him. Is there a significant country on earth that thinks he’s a leader? And, yet, at this point, I would bet he’ll be re-elected. It’s sad.
Stupid article. There have never been any arab allies of the USA, only mendacious, perfidious, back-stabbing, two-faced, parasites.
There is nothing illogical about the Jordanian king’s stance. The king is, first and foremost, concerned that he not be molested, tortured and killed like Qadaffi. The US certainly cannot be trusted to ensure this; in fact, the evidence points to the contrary.
Beyond his loyalty to himself, and to those who can protect him, the king is loyal to the Hashemite dynasty, which is to say, to his family. There is an old enmity between that family and the Saudis; so he has had an arms-length relationship with them over the years.
The king’s third loyalty is to monarchy itself, which is under attack by Islamic fundamentalists and, even more so, by republicans.
The king’s fourth loyalty is to Islam, because that is the religion of his masses.
Jordan is in the Middle East, not the Midwest.