ABSTRACT
In the more impoverished south of Jordan, Jordanians protested the austerity measures and also launched demonstrations against political and financial corruption in government. Jordan is actually a diverse country and should not be confused with the ethnic caricatures that both Palestinian and East Jordanian chauvinists use for each other. In January 2011, as protests rocked both Tunisia and Egypt, Jordanians too formed mass demonstrations calling for the ouster of the executive and his government. Jordan's opposition, meanwhile, continues to split over both domestic and regional issues. As Saudi Arabia led an Arab coalition in a military intervention to restore the Yemeni regime and counter Iranian-backed Houthi rebels but it made sure to back up its key regional economic allies—Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The outcome of the Arab Spring for Jordan will depend on the influence of regional events and on the kingdom's own domestic reform efforts.
