What makes Jordan so peaceful compared to its neighbours in the Middle East?

The Middle East today has numerous points of instability and a growing complexity in the crises and disputes that impact its nations as a whole. Over the past thirty years, the region has seen widespread social discontent, the use of ethnic-sectarian divisions, the expansion of Jihadism, the confusion of US policy in the region, and the continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Despite the present turmoil in the Middle East, Jordan is widely acknowledged as one of the most stable Arab nations in the region. However, to achieve this feat, everything came with a price.

Following Jordan's declaration of independence in the aftermath of the Second World War, it was faced with a fresh challenge from its neighbour, Israel. The Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948 may have contributed to further conflicts in the region, but it also saw the rise of thousands of Palestinians who became Jordanians through exile. The significant influx of Palestinian refugees necessitated Jordan to reassess what it meant to be a genuine Jordanian.

Jordan started to build a national identity, even though it had to deal with a stubborn neighbour in Israel.  When Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's socialist ideas became popular in the 1950s and 1960s, the Hashemite family had to step up and lead their country through some tough times. The unwavering determination of Jordan's longest-serving ruler, King Hussein, was instrumental in the transformation from chaos to peace and order.

The Journey from Transjordan to Jordan

Within a year following the conclusion of World War II, Transjordan, as it was formerly known as, was able to attain formal independence from Britain, with its leader, Emir Abdullah (Abd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn), playing a pivotal role.  Abdullah was the son of Hussein bin Ali, from the Banu Qatadah branch of the Banu Hashemite clan, who served as the Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1908. During World War I, he and his brother Faisal led the Arab revolt against the Ottomans in 1916.  

The Hashemites' close ties with Britain after independence resulted in significant British influence within the nation, particularly in the armed forces. British officers commanded the Arab Legion, the nation's combat police force. Jordan faced its first major test when the United Nations decided to divide Palestine between the native Arab population and the newly arrived Jewish population.

The Islamic world expressed its opposition to the proposed United Nations decision and decided to retaliate. King Abdullah was at the forefront of Muslim retaliation against the newly formed Jewish Zionist nation and declared war on Israel, despite evidence suggesting that he had privately maintained friendly relations with Zionist leaders in Palestine.

This act was typical of Jordanian history at that juncture. Every so often, the Jordanian monarchy took decisions that were not properly planned due to public pressure or local circumstances. However, the war ended badly for the alliance because Israel not only won the land the United Nations had given them, but also 60% of the land the Arabs wanted to use as a newly created Arab settlement.   

Jordan, perhaps the only Arab nation to maintain a commendable military record, with its renowned elite Arab Legion renowned for controlling the West Bank and even East Jerusalem. After establishing a stronghold on both sides of the Jordan River, the nation was officially renamed Jordan in 1949 following their independence, and Abdullah ibn Hussein incorporated it into the Jordanian Kingdom that same year. In the following year, Jordan proceeded to annex the West Bank officially, which was only recognized by Great Britain and Pakistan, much to the dismay of its Arab neighbours. 

After Jordan decided to officially annex the West Bank and East Jerusalem, its population increased from 400,000 to 1.3 million.  The growing population of the country gave new citizens, mostly Palestinian refugees, who were initially living in the west bank and Jerusalem, full individual rights. Palestinian refugees who fled their homes to other Arab countries seeking greener pastures did not receive these rights from the Jordanian Monarchy.

This action by Jordan demonstrates a crucial point that must be recollected to comprehend the country's history during the latter half of the 20th century. As two-thirds of its population were Palestinians, Jordan was probably the Arab country most closely associated with the Palestinian struggle than any other Arab country.     

As time passed, Jordan under King Abdullah became increasingly pro-Arab, creating numerous opportunities for Palestinians. A significant number of its citizens began to express concern due to their perception that Jordan was being excessively harsh towards their fellow Zionist Jews and extremely supportive of Palestine.

As is always the case with situations of war, things got worse. In 1951, during the visit of King Abdullah to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem with his grandson, a gunman opened fire and claimed his life. Later, it was discovered that his assailant, who was killed by his bodyguards, was a Palestinian nationalist who belonged to a military force associated with the former Mufti of Jerusalem.    

Jordan's turbulent period during the 1950s and 1960s

Following the assassination of King Abdullah, his eldest son, Talal bin Abdullah, assumed the throne.  The establishment of Jordan's contemporary constitution in 1952 was Talal's crowning achievement as king, transforming his kingdom into a constitutional monarchy. This, however, was the only crowning achievement of Talal's reign.

In the same year, the Jordanian parliament forced him to step down after discovering that he had a mental illness called schizophrenia. Talal lived the remainder of his life in a sanatorium in Istanbul, where he died on July 7, 1972. A regency council was established until Hussein bin Talal, his eldest son, reached adulthood and assumed the leadership of Jordan. 

At the age of 17, Hussein succeeded to the throne and established himself as the “boy king.” He assumed the throne during a period when the Hashemite government was in serious peril. Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had assumed power in Egypt, was at that time revolutionizing the Arab world, establishing himself as a rival to the traditional monarchies in the Middle East. Simultaneously, Hussein also found himself involved in the Cold War and faced the prospect of a looming crisis in the Middle East.

In 1955, the Baghdad Pact, also called the Central Treaty Organization, saw the alliance between Britain, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan grow. This organization was charged with defending against Soviet influence, with the implicit support of the United States of America.

The main purpose of the Baghdad Pact was to stop communist attacks and make peace in the Middle East, similar to the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. Jordan was subjected to pressure from its previous imperial ruler, Britain, to accede to this pact. 

This pact was met with a lot of dissatisfaction in Jordan because many people thought that the alliance was also anti-Nasserist, which is against the Arab nationalist and Arab socialist political ideology. It is important to note that Gamal Abdel Nasser's independent and anti-imperialist policy in the 1950s earned him enthusiastic support from the Communist government of the Soviet Union. 

During a period when the world was becoming less colonized, Abdel Nasser supported Arab nationalism, Arab socialism, and the fight against foreign rule. Nasser was a nationalist who held the belief in the liberation that preceded the revolution. The Egyptian leader enjoyed a devoted following in every country and level of society.  Because of this, Jordan was forced to choose between dancing to the music of its colonial masters and fighting alongside its Arab brothers.

King Hussein, worried about the general opinion of his people, resolved the unrest by promising not to take part in the Baghdad Pact. However, he was more importantly determined to reduce his countries dependence on Britain. However, this was not the only issue that the King of Jordan was faced with, as Nasserist followership was spreading within its coffers.

There were reports of army officers with Nasserist tendencies popping up in various countries, like Iraq and Syria, with the aim of launching a political revolution. To prevent the spread of Nasserist ideologies throughout his nation, King Hussein modified the command structure of the Jordanian Army.

All senior British officers were replaced by Jordanians, including Glubb Pasha, who was a British soldier and loyalist commander of the Transjordan Arab Legion. King Hussein also went ahead and changed the name of the Arab Legion to the Jordanian Armed Forces after this.   

On October 16, 1954, Jordan held its first elections to elect a government based on democratic principles. King Hussein tried to impose his authority on the opposition by appointing his loyalist, Suleiman Nabulsi. But it turned out that Suleiman Nabulsi, who led a mostly left-wing government, disagreed with most of the King's decisions on governance. Nabulsi was said to favour closer ties between Jordan and Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser, while Hussein was opposed, preferring to remain in the Western camp.  Since his policies often clashed with those of King Hussein, his time as Prime Minister was short. 

In April 1957, Nabulsi was forced to resign due to pressure from King Hussein.  From that point onward, there were instances of mutiny within the ranks of the Jordanian army, wherein individuals who adhered to Nasserist ideology rebelled against their superior officers. 

King Hussein's royalist troops defeated a military rebellion led by nationalist troops in Zerqa on April 13, 1957, which resulted in the deaths of three individuals. This move by the royalist troop on the orders of King Hussein effectively ended a rumoured coup attempt. Hussein implemented a martial law and disbanded Palestinian-dominated military units, as well as banned political parties. The move continued until 1989.   

In 1958, Syria and Egypt formed an alliance to create the United Arab Republic. Due to the threat posed by Syria and Egypt, King Hussein and his cousin, King Faisal II of Iraq, decided to declare the union of their kingdoms under the umbrella of the Arab Federation. The United States even acknowledged the existence of a regional alliance between Iraq and Jordan.   

In July of that year, pro-Nasserist military officers overthrew King Faisal of Iraq, limiting the duration of the union to just six months. On August 2nd, 1958, the new Iraqi government officially took over after the Federation was disbanded. There were also numerous attempts made to assassinate King Hussein of Jordan. However, he remained unaffected and even survived the dissolution of the United Arab Republic in 1961. 

Despite his attempts to be benevolent towards his Jewish neighbours, King Hussein was once again involved in a conflict between Arabs and Israelis in 1967. Many people in the region, particularly in Jordan, were already dissatisfied with Hussein's handling of Israel, believing he should have pledged an alliance with the Jewish state.  However, Hussein's senior officers were opposed to forming an alliance with Israel, urging a closer collaboration with Nasser. Hussein eventually agreed to reconcile with Nasser of Egypt because his main concern was survival.  In May of that year, he committed himself to self-defence from outside forces by joining the Arab forces of Egypt and Syria.    

Even though Hussein thought the Arab armies weren't ready to fight Israel, he gave control of the army to an Egyptian officer named Abdul Munim Riad.  After commanding the Jordanian forces during the 1967 Six-Day War and later commanding the Egyptian forces during the War of Attrition, General Riad and several of his aides were killed in 1969.

The Jordanian king's fears were confirmed when Israel launched a surprise assault on Egypt on June 5th, effectively eliminating its air force. After traversing the Sinai Peninsula, the Israeli army snatched the occupied Gaza Strip from the Egyptians. This conflict in history is commonly referred to as the Six Day War, as Israel defeated the combined forces of Jordan and Syria, occupying the West Bank, including all of Jerusalem, Golan Heights, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula.

Jordan lost the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War to Israel, which took away a large portion of its predominantly Palestinian population and a vital economic center. 300,000 Palestinian refugees were forced to migrate to Jordanian cities. Most Palestinians in the region stayed Jordanians until the country gave up its claims to the area and cut off its administrative ties in 1988.   

King Hussein's struggle against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)

King Hussein was also faced with the additional challenge posed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization movement. This gave him a headache because the PLO, which some people considered a terrorist group, but others considered a liberation movement, was always launching attacks on Israel from their headquarters in Jordan. Therefore, these attacks by the PLO were inviting Israeli attacks on Jordanian soil. 

The most striking example of this occurred in March 1968, when Israeli troops assaulted the town of Karameh with the aim of destroying the PLO's headquarters, an action that they successfully executed. Israel was surprised, however, by the strong resistance put up by the Jordanian forces.

Jordan's retaliatory assault against Israel strengthened Jordan's sense of pride, as it caused significant harm to the Israeli military. The Arab World was pleased with the way Jordan was going toe-to-toe with Israel, as it indicated that Israel was not invincible. 

Furthermore, despite the significant contribution made by the Jordanian army, there was a significant amount of praise heaped on the Palestinian guerrilla fighters, PLO. People from the Arab world began to view the PLO as a Jewish resistance movement and began to join their ranks.

The prominence of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Jordan led to their establishment of a state within a state, defying local rules and engaging in armed conflict, ultimately leading to the killing of Jordanian soldiers. 

King Hussein decided enough was enough after the Palestinian groups threatened his power. His main goal was to stop the PLO from using his territory as an attack against Israel.

The inevitable battle between the Jordanian forces and the Palestinian Liberation Organization ended in open combat in September 1970.  This historical event was commonly referred to as the Black September, since it was the date on which the Jordanian Civil War took place. It was a war between the Jordanian army and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Yasser Arafat.

Within two weeks, the Jordanian troops triumphed and drove the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from its home soil in Amman. In the summer of 1971, all PLO members had been expelled from Jordan and relocated to Lebanon. The period in Jordanian history would be remembered as the time when the Palestine Liberation Organization ceased to exercise its influence in the country.

How King Hussein made Jordan one of the peaceful countries in the Middle East

From that point forward, King Hussein assumed the position of mediator in the realm of Middle Eastern politics. When Egypt and Syria launched an attack against Israel in 1973, Jordan merely served as a conduit for the Syrians to reach the Golan Heights. 

On October 14th, 1974, the United Nations General Assembly recognized the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Two weeks later, on October 28, they were also recognized as the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people at the Rabat Summit of the Arab League. 

This information led King Hussein to conclude a peace treaty with the PLO and to speak on behalf of the Palestinians. Since King Hussein enjoyed good relations with Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq, this peace treaty also gave the Jordanian economy a boost.

In 1988, shortly after the start of the First Intifada, King Hussein unilaterally disengaged from all legal and administrative ties with the West Bank, allowing the Palestinians to establish their own autonomous state. At that juncture, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) declared a Palestinian state comprising Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinians in the West Bank were effectively stripped of their Jordanian citizenship by this decision.

The following year, Jordan experienced many protests and even riots because of the economic situation, which was getting worse. A political fracas ensued, as the protesters demanded extensive political changes to alleviate the deplorable state of their nation. King Hussein, concerned over the growing tensions within his country, decided to schedule parliamentary elections for later in 1989.

To change his nation's fortunes, he unveiled the Jordan National Charter, a document that outlines the means by which Jordan will transition towards greater democracy. This Charter is thought to be the second most important document after the Constitution, and it is more important than all other laws. It set rules for how political activity in the Kingdom of Jordan should be handled. This particular action taken by King Hussein of Jordan served as the impetus for the prosperous and economic growth that Jordan is currently experiencing.

Conclusion

Despite his negative reputation due to his closeness to Saddam Hussein, King Hussein was able to address the fundamental concerns in his country by concluding a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan in 1994.

The peace treaty that is the foundation of Jordan's present stability was signed in Washington, DC on the 25th of July 1994 by representatives from both countries, thereby concluding the 46-year-old conflict between the two nations. 

King Hussein was able to overcome the turbulent four decades of the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Cold War, despite the obstacles he encountered. His skill in balancing the

King Hussein later passed away in 1999, leaving the throne to his son, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, who is currently the ruler of Jordan.