An Update on the Unrest in Jordan

Last week I posted a link to an article about how the Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood is beginning to pose a challenge to the Jordanian Monarchy. I also mentioned last week that there was going to be a large-scale protest in Jordan last Friday which was expected to be similar to the type of protests seen in Tahrir Square.

I think it would be useful to provide an update on what happened at last week’s protest because it is not easy to find updates on what happened as most news media outlets are busy covering other topics and news events.

• Today I provide an update on what happened at the protest last week and an update on the unrest in Jordan.

There was a lot at stake for the sides involved in last week’s planned protest. Recall:

• The protesters hoped to rally large-scale support by staging a Tahrir Square type of sit-in protest for the first time.
• The article I posted last week quoted a Jordan expert who believed the Jordanian regime was concerned about the potential for the planned protest to escalate into an out of control situation.
• The article also quoted a professor and columnist in Jordan who felt the Jordanian government’s reaction to the protests could escalate the situation.

The Jordanian regime ultimately decided to not risk having the protest grow into something that they could not control. Last Friday Jordanian security forces used decisive force against protesters consisting of people from labor unions, youth groups, and the Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

• The security forces reportedly surrounded the protesters as they marched from a mosque to Amman’s main square. The protesters reportedly clashed with pro-government supporters before Jordanian security forces attacked the protesters just as the protesters were going to start their sit-in. Several people were injured during the clash including foreign journalists and local journalists covering the event

You can watch a report of what happened in Amman last Friday in the video below (you can also access the video at the following link if you cannot see the video below). The reporter speaking in the video says that he was one of the journalists who was attacked during the event:

The New York Times recently published an article analyzing the sentiment in Jordan after last week's protest. The article suggests that those who are already unhappy with the slow pace of reform have been further angered by what's happened. The article also quotes a Jordanian businessman and a political analyst who believe that the King of Jordan will only institute reforms that he wants to implement instead of the reforms that the people want implemented.

The sense I got from reading the New York Times article and other articles is that people’s frustration over the slow pace of reform is quickly building in Jordan. I would not be surprised if the frustration in Jordan eventually leads to mass protests like the mass protests seen in other Middle Eastern countries once the fragmented opposition groups organize, which may take awhile according to the New York Times article.

My sense of the situation in Jordan could be wrong, but people who are on the ground in Jordan seem to convey the sense that there is a lot of discontent...