Arab Spring Protest in Jordan - Essay Example

dear client, this is not the final paper. This is a rough draft so please do not use this. I will inform you once the final paper is ready for submission. Thank you . Arab Spring Protest in Jordan Unlike the Arab Spring that has swept much of the Arab World, the Jordanian Spring is limited in scope and end game. The movement has been largely nonviolent and protesters are calling for fixing the existing regime, rather than its overthrow. This paper examines the unique history of state-society dynamics that shaped the birth and progress of the Jordanian Spring. It describes how throughout its history as a modern state, the regime in Jordan has structured state-society rela- tions to address a range of domestic and foreign policy challenges. Over the past two decades in particular,changes to electoral laws and persistent corruption have transformed the parliament into a weak and untrusted body. The Jordanian Spring protests, along with ongoing liberal economic reform programs, have challenged the patron-client system that has dominated Jordanian politics for decades.Finally, the authors evaluate the efforts by both state and society actors to arrive at a win-win solution. The Jordanian Spring has presented an oppor- tunity to introduce the long-awaited package of reforms while spar- ing the country the insecurity found in other parts of the region. They conclude that the monarchy has already made notable moves towards reform, but much remains to be done if the Jordanian Spring is to end in peace and stability. Protests began on 14 January 2011, as protesters demanded Samir Rifais resignation as well as economic conditions.[31][32] On 26 January, the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest opposition groups in Jordan, urged Jordanians to pour into streets on 28 January to continue the protests against prime minister Samir Rifais economic policies and the political situation in the country.[13] Demonstrators protested rising prices and demanded the dismissal of the Prime Minister and his government, but they have not directly challenged the king, criticism of whom is banned in Jordan. The demonstrators have been peaceful and have not been confronted by the police. So far no deaths, injuries or riots have been reported; however the protests leaders said that the king had failed to take substantial steps to address mounting public resentment and they warned that unless real changes are made, that unrest could worsen. King Abdullah II, a key U.S. ally, has come under pressure recently from various protesters which include a coalition of Islamists, secular opposition groups and a group of retired army generals, all of whom are calling for substantial political and economic reforms.[16] Ali Habashnah, one of the retired generals desiring reforms, said that unrest has spread to rural areas dominated by Bedouin tribes. These tribes have been a traditional backbone of the monarchy. It was the first time, he said, that the Bedouins had joined with other groups in demands for change.[16] On 28 January, following Friday prayers, 3,500 activists from the Muslim Brotherhood, trade unions, and communist and leftist organisations demanded that Samir Rifai step down as prime minister and that the government control rising prices, inflation and unemployment.[33] Protests were reported in Amman and six other cities.[34] Thousands took to the streets in the capital, Amman, as well as several other cities shouting, "We want change." Banners complained of high food and fuel prices and demanded the resignation of the prime minister, an appointee of the king. On 2 February, demonstrations continued in demanding that King Abdullah II sack his newly appointed prime minister. Hamza Mansour, one of the leaders of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, demanded elections to choose another prime minister. He said that Al-Bakhit "doesnt believe in democracy." The day after King Abdullah met with Muslim Brotherhood leaders at the royal palace, in an attempt to defuse tensions in the country, on 4 February, hundreds of people, including members of leftist groups and the Muslim Brotherhood, congregated outside the prime ministers office to demand economic and political reforms and the dissolution of parliament. They then marched to the Egyptian embassy in support of the anti-government protesters in that country.[ On 18 February, protesters who gathered in central Amman to demand political reform, clashed with a small group of government supporters that eyewitnesses claim attacked the protesters with sticks and stones, before the police restored order. Eyewitnesses said about 2,000 protesters, mostly young people joined by trade unionists and others, took to the streets after prayers at the Husseini Mosque, though other reports said the number was about 300. About 7,000–10,000 protesters were on the streets of Amman on 25 February, in the largest protests so far.[17] The Islamic Action Front, along with 19 other political parties, called for the protests. In the first week of March anti-government protesters continued where opposition groups demanded such greater political freedoms as a constitutional monarchy. On 24 March, Al Jazeera reported that around 500 protesters, mainly university students and politically unaffiliated unemployed graduates set up a protest camp in a main square in the capital to press demands for the ouster of the prime minister, seen as insufficiently reformist, as well as wider public freedoms. Other demands include dissolving the parliament, which was seen as too docile, dismantling the intelligence department and giving greater powers to the people, including a new, more proportional, election law. Jordans opposition also wanted to strip the king of some of his powers, specifically in appointing the prime minister, as they wanted the premier to be elected by a popular vote. On 25 March, clashes occurred between supporters of the king and more than 2000 protesters camped in Gamal Abdel Nasser Circle. Some witnesses said the police stood by as government supporters moved into the square and began throwing stones.[19] As many as 100 people were reported injured, most with head wounds, while two people are said to have been killed. However, the next day in a press conference, the commandant of public security, Lieutenant General Hussein Al-Majali confirmed that there was one death only, with 62 injured civilians, and 58 injured policemen (including a Brigadier General and a Lieutenant Colonel). Forensic medicine report confirmed that there were no signs of any injury, and that the patient actually died of circulatory collapse secondary to chronic ischemic heart disease.In the same press conference, Al-Majali also confirmed that 8 civilians and 17 policemen were still receiving hospital treatment at the time of the conference, and also stressed that policemen were completely unarmed and they interfered just to save the lives of people whatever their political view is. On the same day of clashes, thousands gathered in Al-Hussein Gardens, west of Amman, to express loyalty and allegiance to the king, dancing to national songs and waving large Jordanian flags and pictures of the monarch. On 1 April, nearly 400 policemen were deployed to separated hundreds of government supporters and pro-reform activists holding rival rallies outside municipal offices in Amman. On 15 April, more than 2,000 Jordanians took to the streets throughout the country demanding greater political representation, with half of them demonstrating in Amman, immediately after prayers. Also, a crowd of a few hundred Islamists clashed with a somewhat smaller group of monarchy loyalists in Zarqa. Eight civilians and 83 policemen were wounded, including 4 in critical condition. On 13 June, the motorcade of King Abdullah II was attacked with stones and bottles by protesters in the city of Tafileh, although this was later denied, a royal official stating that they were enthusiastically greeted.[43] Some indication is that this was actually an outbreak of violence between the Darak (Jordanian Gendarmerie) and local unemployed protesters. It is alleged that the local mayor caused the Darak to force back the protesters not wanting his city to look bad, the protesters replied with stones and empty bottles. The King is alleged to have been 12 km away. On 17 June, youth groups and activists will protest calling on greater reforms,[44] which the kingdom has dismissed for 2–3 years, including the election of a prime minister and cabinet.[45] A rare outbreak of violence marred protests in Amman on 15 July, with police beating journalists and protesters alike. The Public Security Directorate offered a mixed response, accepting full responsibility for the violence and promising compensation to journalists who suffered injuries or damage to equipment, but blaming demonstrators for instigating hostilities.[3] On 16 July, a more peaceful demonstration took place.[3] An Al Jazeera correspondent covering a protest on 20 July had a mixed reaction to the way security forces handled the situation, noting that while police and gendarmes respected all attendeesfreedom of speech and acted quickly and effectively to prevent clashes between pro-reform demonstrators and government supporters, police also did nothing to prevent verbal harassment and intimidation of the former group by vocal loyalists.[3] In Amman, on 29 July, around 3,000 Muslim Brotherhood activists at the demonstration raised their right hand and took an oath to continue peaceful protests until their demands for political reform in the kingdom are met. On 14 August, clashes erupted between government loyalists and pro-reform demonstrators in a street protest in Karak after midnight.[46] After a lull in September, protests started again on 7 October, when former prime minister Ahmad Obeidat led over 2000 people in a march outside the Grand Husseini Mosque in central Amman. There were also marches in the cities of Karka, Tafileh, Maan, Jerash and Salt.[47] There was a further march on 15 October, as part of the global "Occupy" movement, which was held in the northern city of Salhub, which is located 50 kilometers (32 miles) from the Jordanian capital Amman. A counter-protest attacked the marchers, hurling stones and firing their guns into the air. At least 35 people were injured and 27 cars damaged in the incident.[48] The next day, a memorandum signed by 70 out of 120 lawmakers was presented to the royal palace demanding that the prime minister and the cabinet be sacked.[49] Much to the surprise of the opposition in the country, the king almost immediately complied, naming Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh to head the new government the next day.[50] Riots took place in the several cities and towns in mid November, most notably in Ramtha, which lasted three days and was sparked by the death in custody of Najem Azaizeh in Salt, which continued on and off for weeks and the towns of Qatraneh and Jafr.[51] Also, the trial of nearly 100 protesters indited the previous April began, and much of the Government of the capitol Amman was arrested for corruption.[52] In December, there were protests in Amman,[53] and riots in the northeastern cities of Mafraq[54] and Qatraneh.[55] On 24 December, protesters gathered outside of the prime ministers office to protest the treatment of protesters by the security forces the previous day in Mafraq.[56] For most of 2012, protests subsided. The uprising in neighboring Syria, which had led to tens of thousands of deaths, dampened the enthusiasm of some Jordanian activists, who reportedly feared chaos developing in Jordan. In November 2011, King Abdullah called for a change in government in Syria, one of the first of Syrias neighboring leaders to do so.[57] On late 1 September 2012, Jordanians from Amman to the southern city of Maan rallied for the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Fayez al-Tarawneh for issuing a 10 percent fuel price increase. Protestors blamed the Royal Palace for tolerating rampant corruption they say is the real reason for Jordans economic crisis. During the rallies, Islamists, leftists and independent activists called on Amman to roll back the decision, chanting: "Jordanian people, why are they draining us?" Also at the Interior Ministry, protesters and the Muslim Brotherhood charged the price hike had been directed by the World Bank.[58] Protests continued on the next day when taxi drivers blocked a main road in Amman as they abandoned their cars and marched to the ministry of transport in opposition to the hike, while citizens in the northern city of Irbid held a sit-in to protest the move.[59] Amid rising protests over the measure, King Abdullah on Sunday suspended a government decision to increase prices of the fuel.[60] On early 8 September, Jordanian anti-riot forces stormed a protest in the southern city of Tafileh after participants began chanting slogans reportedly criticizing King Abdullah II. According to eye-witnesses and activists, authorities fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse a group of some 60 protesters after activists began chanting slogans insulting the monarch, arresting 15 participants. A Jordanian security source confirmed that police arrested 15 protesters who currently face charges of attempting to "undermine the regime" and "incite a riot."[61] Jordanian security officials refused to disclose the anti-King slogans allegedly chanted by protesters. Activists contend that their rally was peaceful prior to the riot forces’ storming. Tafileh residents had organised the rally to protest the detention of local activist Mohammed Al Amaara, who was arrested hours earlier for reportedly making statement criticising Queen Rania during an anti-government protest following Friday noon prayers. The clashes came as activists took to the streets in nine of Jordan’s 12 provinces on Friday in a series of anti-government rallies urging Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh to step down for a recent rise in fuel and water prices.[62] On 5 October, thousands of Jordanians attended a protest demanding political reforms in Amman, hours after King Abdullah II dissolved parliament and called early parliamentary elections. Video footage showed protesters chanting slogans and waving flags. The AFP news agency quoted people as shouting: "We demand constitutional reform before the people revolt. The people want to reform the regime."[63] Read More