Jordan watchers were elated with
the positive outcomes of His Majesty
King Abdullah’s meetings in Washington
this past week, which appear to have reconfirmed Jordan’s special partnership
with the United States after a period of perceived letup during the Trump
presidency.
اضافة اعلان
One of the more interesting
developments that occurred in the lead up to the visit was an announcement that
the US military would be relocating some of their bases from Qatar to Jordan. While
the timing of the announcement appeared to coincide with the Royal visit, these
plans have undoubtedly been in the works for some time now, at least since President
Biden’s election.
Accordingly, the relocation may
be less about US bilateral relations with Jordan, (or even Qatar), and more about
evolving US policy considerations. These include a move away from combat
operations and a bid to reach a diplomatic solution with Iran.
In a White House meeting held
yesterday between President
Biden and Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi,
the two sides announced an agreement to end the US combat mission in the
country later this year. A similar announcement was made by the White House concerning
Afghanistan earlier in the month, with observers suggesting that US troops
could depart Afghanistan before September of this year.
The Biden presidency will be
credited for these decisions, citing an overuse of the military as a primary policy
option. The decisions however, stem from growing recognition amongst US
military strategists that these prolonged conflicts are not yielding desired
political and security results on the one hand, and are detracting from the
ability of the US military to prepare for a possible future confrontation with
China on the other.
Shifting the US military’s basing requirements to Jordan effectively formalizes this thinking because the bases
would not serve as forward operating bases or staging grounds for future combat
operations, but would rather be used to maintain the region’s current military
balance.
In a similar vein, President
Biden has made no secret of his desire to reach a negotiated settlement with
Iran. The end of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the relocation
of US bases supports this goal in two ways.
Firstly, removing forces from
Qatar and other countries neighboring Iran can be seen as a de-escalatory
step and confidence building measure. Secondly, it diminishes Iran’s ability to
target US bases nearby, thereby denying Iran leverage in the negotiations.
Jointly, these actions would appear to improve the United States’ negotiating
position with Iran and increase the likelihood that both sides can reach a
binding deal.
The relocation of US bases to Jordan does signal
the strength of bilateral relations between the two countries. However, views
are undoubtedly mixed amongst Jordanians who have historically been cautious
about hosting foreign military bases. In this case, and assuming that the
explanations set forth above are valid, the relocation seems more palpable.
This would immediately change if the bases are used for large-scale offensive
operations against neighboring countries.
Read more Opinion & Analysis
.jpg)
.jpg)
