ABSTRACT
The wave of Arab uprisings, which began in Tunisia and spread to the mashreq, touched Jordan in fundamental ways, as protests and demonstrations for economic and political reforms rocked major cities of the country. The highpoint of protests in Jordan that set the country apart from the other Arab countries was the immediate action taken by the monarchical regime, even though it was unsatisfactory. Jordan is only nominally a constitutional monarchy, as the king appoints the upper house, which is vested with real powers. The Jordanian regime has repeatedly admitted that Jordan’s economy and infrastructure is unable to sustain such a large refugee population. The Trans-Jordanian demands during the protests were redistribution of economic gains, rooting out corruption, and limiting the economic and political influence of the Palestinian majority. Jordan’s shadowy General Intelligence Department or Mukhabarat has strong say in the university, government appointments and issuing of residency permits to non-Jordanians.
