The United States’ foreign policy has retained a specific focus on the Middle East’s regional position throughout history. This is especially true when it comes to dealing with numerous strategic issues, including the historical conflict between Arabs and Israelis in the region or the rise of terrorism and extremism as factors impacting regional security as well as the interests of the United States. This article particularly reflects on relations between the US and Jordan and how the relationship is holding up in the current political climate.
In such a realm, the Jordanian Kingdom remained one of the influential partners with Washington D.C. when dealing with such primary concerns. The two sides established their relationship in 1949. They boosted their ties as the United States provided grants and economic partnerships worth billions to Jordan. They also strengthened their security partnership, which led Jordan to become one of the “major non-NATO allies” in the year 1996 (Sharp, 2015).
Such notions further determined that the widening of the relationship between Amman and Washington D.C. They not only enhanced security and strategic partnerships on a broader level but also impacted the affairs of the Middle East.
This report-based assessment will discuss two main determinants of this discussion. First, the focus will be on the security partnership in the Middle East, with a major focus on contemporary issues. Then, remarks will be provided on the efforts from both sides as steps for regional cohesion by the current leadership in the United States.
Security Partnership in the Middle East
The United States has engaged in numerous aspects of the development and shifts in the security environment inside the Middle East. Jordan’s geographical position to numerous conflicting states or borders in the region, as well as its closer proximity to states like Iraq and Syria, eventually turned out to be important for the United States to deal with challenges to its interests and broader security issues.
The major issues of terrorism and extremism being developed from the instability in Iraq and Syria made Jordan an essential partner for collaboration in various initiatives. It is because of recent disturbances inside the Palestinian Gaza Strip due to Israeli actions, the fall of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria, and the crisis that emerged in Lebanon that increased focus for the United States to determine further strengthening of the security partnership with Jordan.
One can identify the most important point here that Jordan remained an essential factor for the United States security partnership in the region because of the widespread focus towards curtailing the influence of Iran that emerged in the shape of the existence of Shia Islamist groups in Syria under Assad’s rule. It remained a common interest for not only the United States but also for its partners like Jordan and Israel to prevent Iran from increasing its influence inside the region through its existence in Syria.
In the context of Syria, Jordan received a large number of refugees from the country due to the continuous crisis there. Jordan’s General Intelligence Directorate (GID) remained one of the major intelligence branches of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in combatting the potential threat of terrorists or extremists coming from Syria towards Jordan and had received almost US$3.3 billion in 2013 for five years (Eells, 2013).
Nevertheless, the United States also focused on extending its partnership and financial support to Jordan throughout the decades, especially during the “War on Terror,” where both states retained a significant collaborative stance in combatting leading terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). The Jordanian Kingdom conducted major operations and military actions against such elements with the support of the United States through widespread intelligence-sharing and joint efforts.
The United States also retains the significant existence of its forces inside Jordan that had progress against combatting terrorism in Iraq and undermined the position of ISIL and its linked terror outfits in Iraq and the Middle East with the support of Jordan under the US Central Command (CENTCOM) ‘s Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF). Such aspects determine the point of the United States foreign policy that Jordan remained an essential entity for the American Government in following the aspects of burden-sharing when dealing with challenges to security and stability in the region.
Strengthening of Regional Cohesion
Regional cohesion, as determined under the burden-sharing between the United States and Jordan, can also be noticed in the broader geopolitical ambitions of the United States towards the region. It is being added here that the United States views Jordan as one of the potential players in upholding the pursuits for regional cohesion and achieving potential strategic advantages that are essential for both sides.
The Kingdom pursued several efforts to undermine those aspects that tend to impact regional stability, including countering narcotics from Syria, dealing with the passing of drones (potentially used by pro-Iranian elements across Iraq and Syria), and taking serious action to curb weapon smuggling from these two states towards Palestinian territories held by Israel.
The United States also supports such measures to uphold the notion of support for regional cohesion in which Jordan is potentially seen as a credible partner—it was proven in April 2024 when the Jordanian air force shot down dozens of Iranian drones near the Syrian border as well as south of Amman. These drones were headed for Israel amid its military intervention in the Gaza Strip, and Jordan shot them to undermine further regional instability.
It was also reported that the Jordanian Government asked for the deployment of the American Patriot missile systems across Jordan to deal with incursions of Iranian drones and missiles and to uphold moves for regional cohesion.
The recent resurgent focus of United States foreign policy towards the Middle East under President Donald Trump’s second administration can be seen as heavily influenced by the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Trump administration has engaged directly with actors through different diplomatic channels and initiatives, whether with hostile actors like Iran or potential partners in the region.
Jordan had also been determined as a probable player in such regard as it remained focused on bringing in potential measures to pull together all major stakeholders in the region, including America.
Anyhow, the recent plans for relocating the Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan as per demands of Israel and due to the potential interest of the Trump administration’s economic prospects under its foreign policy for the region had different outcomes that can also negatively impact the future partnership of the two sides. Jordan openly rejected the American plan for holding control of Gaza and rebuilding it for its economic incentives, as the Jordanian Kingdom points it out as a factor that could undermine the 1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel.
The Kingdom also demarcated its stance that the United States must ensure its influence in the region, but pursuing a notion that can undermine the cause of Palestinian statehood might advance further instability in the region.
Conclusion
Jordan retains a significant position for the United States when it comes to burden-sharing under its foreign policy for regional matters in the Middle East.
The United States collaborated with Jordan to achieve its interests in terms of security and regional cohesion. The major point of such collaborations was to reduce the intensity of the Arab-Israeli issue in the broader context, which remained escalated.
The geographical proximity of Jordan is also important for the American foreign policy for the region, especially when it comes to dealing with potential security threats, including widespread narcotics trafficking from Syria, curbing Iranian influence from Iraq and Syria, and undermining those incursions that not only impact Israeli security but also undermine the overall stability and cohesion of the region.
The two sides have remained collaboratively active in dealing with the outcomes of Israeli incursions in Gaza and Lebanon. However, the Jordanian Kingdom has openly rejected the notion of relocating Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt, calling it a move to sabotage peace between Israel and Jordan and impacting the peace in the region.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
He holds a Masters in Human Rights and International Conflict.