ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the relationship between Syria and the Kingdom of Jordan. These two modern states were carved out of the same historical region, Greater Syria or the Bilad Ash-Sham. Despite these common roots, the first years of the relationship saw contrasts and divisions rather than cooperation. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the Hashemite King Abdullah of Jordan had clear ambitions to gain power in Damascus. Throughout the 1960s, the two countries were ideological rivals, as Trans-Jordan was firmly in the pro-Western campus. The two countries were also divided by their position on the Palestinian issue. The short-lived rapprochement in the mid-1970s represented a tactical reaction to regional events such as Egypt’s progressive shift towards Israel and the United States. While this détente did not develop into a fully-fledged alliance, it does represent a significant shift from the previous pattern of cooperation and a sign of Syria’s new ‘flexible’ approach to inter-Arab alliances.
