Political liberalization in Jordan : a comparative study -

Abstract

This thesis compares two distinct periods of political liberalization in Jordan’s history: 1953-1957, and 1984-1994. It uses Uriel Dann’s model of Jordanian politics in order to analyze the nature of the regime elite and the opposition in the two periods, while also utilizing other approaches in order to adjust the model accordingly. Different external and internal dynamics in the two periods shaped the nature of the liberalization process, as well as the relative strength of the political opposition to the regime. In the first period, King Hussein and the regime elite face a challenge from a broad-based opposition coalition that ultimately seeks to remake Jordan in its own image. This is not the case in the second period. Instead, we see a weaker opposition that is easily co-opted by the regime, legitimizing the process of regime-led liberalization that continues to this day.