21 years after Jordan's 9/11: Why hasn't Islamic terrorism defeated the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan? | Prof. Ronen Yitzhak
21 years after the deadliest terrorist attack in Amman (2005), Jordan remains stable. The article examines why Islamic terrorism has not defeated the kingdom, highlighting the role of intelligence, cooperation with Israel and the West, and the religious legitimacy of the Hashemite monarchy.
This week marks 21 years since Jordan's deadliest terrorist attacks: on November 9, 2005, operatives from Al-Qaeda in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, carried out three coordinated suicide bombings at hotels in Amman, killing about 60 people. The attacks, dubbed 'Jordan's 9/11,' achieved the opposite of their intended effect: the Jordanian public rallied behind the Hashemite monarchy, granting the government broad public legitimacy to fight Islamic extremism. The article notes that Jordan remains one of the most stable countries in the Middle East, thanks to a combination of religious legitimacy (descendants of the Prophet Muhammad), moderate state policy, and an effective intelligence network cooperating with the CIA, Mossad, and other Western agencies. Recently, a shooting incident occurred at a church in a town near Karak, killing nine people, but the author argues this does not undermine the general sense of security in the kingdom.