Syria Under Assad (RLE Syria) by Moshe Maoz Avner Yaniv

Author:Moshe Maoz, Avner Yaniv [Moshe Maoz, Avner Yaniv]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9781317818380
Google: YAY3AgAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2013-11-26T05:54:53+00:00

8

Syria and Jordan: The Politics of Subversion

Joseph Nevo

Introduction

Till the end of the Ottoman period, the territories that later comprised Syria and Jordan shared much in common, from geography to economics and linguistics. The historical and administrative concept of Syria, furthermore, usually included most of Transjordan. At the same time, however, these two areas also differed from each other in certain social aspects and in levels of local cohesion.

The establishment of Transjordan as a political entity separated from Syria stemmed from considerations that were irrelevant both to historical developments and the desires of the indigenous inhabitants. That separation, together with the differences between the two forms of foreign rule that both countries experienced, somewhat blurred the common denominators, sharpened existing differences and created new ones.

With independence, and the passage of time, the respective regimes of the two countries have taken utterly different directions. Syria, an authoritarian republic, built up an impressive military force with the ambition, as well as the potential capability, of becoming a leading Middle Eastern power. The pattern of its global and regional alliances has shown a tendency to prefer the Soviet bloc and the radical Arab regimes. Jordan, a traditional yet fairly enlightened monarchy, also developed an efficient professional army, but one designated (in the last 30 odd years, at least) to preserve the regime and defend the country rather than to back an aggressive regional and foreign policy. In contrast to Syria, Jordan has persisted in its preferences for a pro-Western orientation and alignment with moderate Middle Eastern states.

Syria has championed the cause of the Palestinians, while often ruthlessly suppressing the PLO. For Jordan, the attitude towards the Palestinian was not only a question of expediency — as it was for Syria — but also a matter of survival. Jordan, too, sometimes followed a repressive policy towards the PLO, but constantly adhered to a policy that considered the Palestinians and the Transjordanians as two segments of the same people and country.

These differences between Syria and Jordan, which have become increasingly more pronounced, have given rise to frequent fluctuations in their mutual relations. On several occasions, the two states attempted to merge into one political entity. On the other hand, diplomatic relations between them have been severed at least as frequently, and in four instances the two countries seemed headed towards large-scale armed conflict. Such extreme ups and downs are uncommon even within the inter-Arab system, which has in general been characterised by rapid shifts from violent animosity to declarations of eternal friendship. Tracing the precise causes of these fluctuations cannot possibly be done within the confines of a brief chapter; however, an overview of the history of Syrian-Jordanian bilateral relations as well as a brief analysis of some of the most conspicuous determinants of Jordanian policy are feasible.

Jordan’s Policy under Abdallah

Jordanian interest in Syria dates from the very beginning of Hashemite rule in Amman. Abdallah ibn Hussein, founder of the Emirate of Transjordan, and its ruler for 30 years, arrived in that area in 1921. He

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