Complications of War: Jordan and the Iraqi Refugees

Jordan has provided a safe haven for Iraq’s never-ending stream of war refugees, as the country has kept its borders open long after other regional destinations have closed. According to recent estimates, Iraqis constitute somewhere between 8 to 12 percent of the Jordanian population. Jordan’s goodwill is, however, nearing its breaking point, due to resource strains, security concerns and continued violence inside Iraq. Moreover, the humanitarian crisis created by this situation has raised numerous challenges and questions of ethics and transparency in refugee management and service provision, which many in the government and NGO world did not foresee.

Palestine Analysis: The PLO and the Crisis of Representation (Masri)

Today, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) is experiencing an internal dilemma.  Long viewed as the “legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian People”, many years of failed negotiations with the Israeli government, a growing democratic deficit and alienation of its grassroots base have inexorably lead to a crisis of legitimacy for the organization.  As the Israeli government continues its refusal to extend a limited freeze on settlement building, calls for the PLO to abandon negotiations by Palestinian leaders inside and outside the Occupied Territories place the organization in a precarious position and highlight a growing sense of disillusionment with the PLO’s ability to act credibly on behalf of Palestinian interests.

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Iran Interview: The State of the Economy (Kaveh Ehsani)

The economy of Iran is in a deep recession, which has only been exacerbated by the recent round of sanctions passed by the United Nations, the European Union and the United States. Aside from more immediate concerns, the Iranian government is also grappling with several deep-rooted problems. First, it is dealing with the burden of a highly politicized, hybrid economic system that combines state, private, and semi-private ownership. The state exerts substantial control over the economy both directly and through semi-private entities such as foundations (bonyads), mutual funds, pension funds and companies linked to military organizations. Estimates vary as to exactly how much of the economy is under state control, partly because the semi-private sector doesn’t operate in a transparent fashion, but it is safe to say that these institutions dominate the economy. Since they are run by politically affiliated appointees, as opposed to managers hired according merit and competence, their activities tend to be highly politicized. Ideally, these institutions should be run according to transparent social and with economic rather than factional political aims, but any major changes will require resolute decisions by a government that is currently not prepared to pay the political cost of unpopular policies.

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