A nation must think before it acts.
Is Jordan Next? The Threat from ISIL
Jordan, the key U.S. ally bordering territories held by the Islamic State and comprising a central part of its desired Sunni empire, is precariously situated on the frontline of the ISIL’s violent campaign. Ironically, one of ISIL’s predecessor organizations, Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), was founded by a Jordanian, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Will ISIL now turn to Jordan? Is Jordan prepared to defend itself against ISIL, and can the US help?
To consider these and other questions, please join host Ron Granieri as he welcomes Andrew Spath for a discussion of possible spillover effects from ISIL’s campaign. Andrew Spath is a Fellow in FPRI’s Program on the Middle East. He is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at Rutgers University, where he teaches courses on authoritarianism, Middle East politics and society, and Model United Nations. He is writing his dissertation on political activism during periods of leadership change in authoritarian regimes focusing on Jordan and Syria. From 2012-2014, as a David L. Boren Fellow and two-time Fulbright Fellow, he lived and conducted research in Jordan as an associate researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan and the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies.