Iraq–Jordan relations

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Iraqi-Jordanian relations
Map indicating locations of Iraq and Jordan

Iraq
Jordan

Relations between neighbours

bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the French Third Republic. Several efforts to unify the countries have been pursued over the last century. Jordan has an embassy in Baghdad and Iraq has an embassy in Amman
.

History

As the two original

Persian Gulf War
.

In 1979 Iraq initiated contacts aimed at closer alignment at a time when the newly established President Saddam Hussein was seeking Arab allies, perhaps to provide for at least some level of transnational support and inter-Arab legitimacy for his régime. More important for the Jordanians, however, were the economic pay-offs of such an alliance, as Iraq could provide economic support and oil supplies that the kingdom desperately needed.

As the new alliance began to solidify in 1980,

Islamist regime in Iran. The Hashemite government viewed Iran as a potential threat not from military expansion, but as a supporter and living example of Islamist revolutionary militancy against conservative pro-Western monarchies. For King Hussein, Iran was a threat not just to his régime's security directly, but also indirectly in so far as it threatened the Persian Gulf Arab monarchies oil which Jordan was partially reliant for aid. Throughout the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, Jordan supported Iraq politically and especially economically. Indeed, Jordan's port of Aqaba
and its overland trucking routes became Iraq's main supply line throughout the eight years of that war. In return, Jordan received oil from Iraq at prices far below market value.

To expand on these political-economic linkages, Jordan helped create the

Persian Gulf War
.

The shift in Iraq–Jordan relations became apparent in August 1995, when Jordan granted political asylum to two Iraqi defectors. King Hussein of Jordan also openly criticized Iraqi policies on national television on 23 August 1995. However, majority of Jordanians supported Saddam Hussein. Western countries considered the change in Jordan's policy on Iraq as a means to further isolate Saddam Hussein and eventually weaken his leadership.

Despite periodic crises of confidence and lingering Iraqi resentment over Jordan's close ties with Saddam Hussein, the two countries forged deep ties. In the face of repeated attacks and threats, Jordan has maintained a strong diplomatic presence in Baghdad.

The economic impact of the Iraq crisis in Jordan has been mixed. Jordan has benefited greatly from serving as a "gateway" to Iraq for governments, aid workers, contractors, and businesspeople, the real estate and banking sectors are booming, and it stands to reap more benefits from increased trade and transport should the situation in Iraq improve. However, with the fall of Saddam, Jordan lost the sizable oil subsidies and customary shipments it received from Iraq.[2] One of Jordan's principal economic interests in the new Iraq is securing future energy assistance.

Current affairs

Jordan can claim only modest influence over developments in Iraq. The kingdom does have notable intelligence capabilities vis-à-vis Iraq, and it reportedly helped the United States track down and kill

Sunni Arabs, they pale in comparison to those of Iran, Turkey, and Syria. Jordan's most significant means of influence is its hosting of a large and ever-changing Iraqi expatriate community, mostly of Sunni Arab origin.[2]

Jordanian leaders worry that Iraq is becoming a haven for terrorist groups, a fear dramatically heightened by the November

Shiite influence in the region.[2]

In 2005, the case of Raed Mansour al-Banna, a Jordanian suicide bomber who blew himself up in Hillah, Iraq strained relations between the two countries. After Banna's family gave him a heroic funeral in Jordan, thousands of Iraqi Shia protested, and the two countries recalled their respective ambassadors.[3]

On 24 December 2012, Iraq and Jordan agreed to extend an oil pipeline to the Red Sea city of Aqaba for the export of Iraqi crude. The new pipeline would be capable of pumping one million barrels per day. Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah al-Nsur stated that Jordan is important for Iraq's trade and the export of its oil. Iraq also agreed to implement a 2009 agreement to establish a free trade zone between the two countries and increase the capacity of its gas pipeline to secure Jordan's Iraqi natural gas needs. Jordan relies on imports for 95 percent of its energy needs. A rise in fuel prices by up to 53 percent in November prompted violent protests in which three people were killed and more than 70 injured. Iraq, which sits on the region's third largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and Iran at 115 billion barrels, hopes the move will increase and diversify its exports. Jordan imports 10,000 barrels of Iraqi oil per day at well below the global market value, and has agreed to increase that amount to 15,000 barrels. Iraq delivered oil to Jordan for preferential prices under the U.N. oil-for-food program during the rule of Saddam Hussein.[4][5]

Iraq's contribution to the world's oil supply will significantly increase to more than 8 million barrels a day by 2035, outstripping its current output, according to the International Energy Agency. In its "Iraq Energy Outlook" report, the IEA said the country's oil and gas reserves would be key to its own future, as well as playing an essential role in stabilizing the global energy markets. It is expected that Iraq will dominate oil supply over the coming decades and will become the world's largest oil exporter after Russia by the 2030s.[6]

In 2013, trade between Iraq and Jordan has been facilitated by

Haifa Port and shipped from there to Turkey and other countries, as an alternative to Syria.[7]

In 2014, the land trade route between Iraq and Jordan was severely affected by the deteriorating security situation in Anbar province linking the two countries.

ISIS had seized large parts of the province and imposed high taxes on the trucks passing through.[8] Before the instability in the province, 70% of the exports originating from Jordanian Free Zones went to the Iraqi market,[9] but after the sudden takeover of Mosul and other parts of Iraq in June 2014 the trade decreased by 19% for the period of June–September 2014 compared to a year before.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Online European roulette > To try it is to adopt it!". meepas.com. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Jordan and Iraq: Between Cooperation and Crisis". usip.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
  3. ^ Iraq-Jordan Dispute Deepens; Diplomats Recalled in Aftermath of Suicide Bombing[dead link]
  4. ^ "Iraq agrees to extend oil pipeline through Jordan". 24 December 2012.
  5. ^ http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/1244382/1/.html [dead link]
  6. ^ "Iraq Poised to Become Worldrsquos Largest Oil Exporter". CNBC. [dead link]
  7. ^ Lior, Gad (5 April 2013). "Iraqi goods travel to Turkey via Israel". Ynetnews. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  8. ^ "ISIS Militants Control Major Road Between Jordan And Iraq".
  9. ^ "How will the campaign against ISIS affect the Jordanian Economy?".
  10. ^ "صادرات المملكة إلى العراق تنخفض 19%".

Further reading

  • David Kenneth Schenker, Dancing with Saddam: The Strategic Tango of Jordanian-Iraqi Relations, published by Lexington Books, 2003
    ISBN 0-7391-0649-X
    .

External links
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