Jordan to Receive Multi-Billion Aid Package from the United States Government
Jose Nino
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On September 16, 2022, the White House signed a memorandum of understanding that featured a new foreign aid agreement directed towards Jordan. Part of this agreement is an injection of $10.15 billion in aid that will be sent to Jordan in the next seven years.
As Kyle Anzalone of Antiwar.com highlighted, this new deal would have Jordan occupy third place in terms of the countries receiving the most financial assistance from the US government. It now only trails Ukraine and Israel.
The Biden regime discussed this new agreement with Jordan during the Jeddah summit back in July. The MOU represents the largest aid package the US government has ever forged with Jordan.
Jordanian officials were ecstatic about this agreement. “It’s an extremely important MOU. It speaks to the strong friendship the two countries have,” foreign minister Ayman Safadi declared. He continued, “The US has gone above and beyond for Jordan.”
The State Department called attention to Jordan’s strategic importance for America’s grand strategy in the Middle East. “The MOU represents a major commitment to Jordan’s stability and the durability of the strategic partnership,” the press release stated.
One of the most interesting points that Anzalone raised is how Jordan and the US are not on the same page on the Syria question. Jordan believes that Russia’s presence in Syria is “stabilizing.” A portion of the aid will be allocated towards helping the 1.3 million Syrian refugees being sheltered in Jordan.
One of the more amusing aspects of this financial aid agreement is how the State Department asserts that Jordan’s monarchy commits several human rights violations. The State Department listed off several human rights abuses that the Jordanian monarchy has committed in its 2021 human rights report:
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment in government facilities; arbitrary arrest and detention; political prisoners or detainees; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; serious restrictions on free expression and media, including the existence of criminal libel laws and censorship….
Anzalone listed off other countries that are on the American dole who have suspect human rights records:
Like Jordan, other top recipients of American aid have tarnished human rights records. Israel receives $3.8 billion annually and is accused by Western NGOs of being an apartheid state. Egypt will take in over $1 billion in aid in 2022, and several representatives believe Cairo is guilty of carrying out extrajudicial killings. The top recipient of aid, Ukraine, has nationalized its media and banned nearly all political opposition parties in the past six months.
BLP previously reported on Jordanian King Abdullah II’s desire to join an Arab NATO, which would likely be used to balance against two ascendant regional powers such as Iran and Turkey. The Middle East is a major zone of instability, so it would be wise that the US stay out of the region altogether.
However, DC policymakers have other plans in mind as they’re completely in the thrall of countries such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirate — nations that offer very little strategic advantages to the US. One can only imagine that these entangling alliances are here to stay as long as the present ruling class remains in power.
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