ABSTRACT
Tacit understandings combine secrecy with directness, cooperation with a certain sense of uneasiness, the pull of temptation against the dictates of extreme caution. Israeli-Jordanian coexistence is defined by a cluster of contacts and understandings between leaders of the two countries: contacts, both direct and indirect, but not formal negotiation; understandings, but no binding agreements. Ian Lustick has described the state of secret ties between Israel and Jordan since 1967 as an "adversarial partnership" featuring a "substantial overlap" of interests leading to "implicit coordination" in a "network" of relationships or "matrix of relations." A stable military balance permits Israelis and Jordanians to savor the fruits of a functional relationship in comparatively less politically-sensitive areas, such as economic development. Israeli-Jordanian secret diplomacy is notable for the many political storms it has weathered. Israel and Jordan are small, vulnerable and defensive states. This has led them to be predisposed in favor of the status quo in regional politics.
