Thesis Proposal

Fragile Jordanian Stability amid Internal and External Threats
Student’s Name
The Name of the Class (Course)
Professor (Tutor)
The Name of the School (University)
The City and State where it is located
The Date
The study appraises how the nation continues to maintain stability in the face of internal and external threats. The research evaluates the nation’s historical evolution, its standing in the Middle East, and its capacity to maintain political stability.
Overview
The delicate stability existing in Jordan is highly contrastive of its internal challenges and instability among its neighbors. The nation’s economy is struggling since the nation is dependent on foreign aid and investments from its neighbors. The country is devoid of minerals, unlike its neighbors, influencing its dependence on inter-trade among neighbors and its superior human resource (Peters, and Moore, 2009, 280). The fragile interrelations among different groups, risk deterioration amid external influence. The Shie, Sunni, and Amorite Christians are the dominant groups in the nations, which influences political leadership, with each group individually awarded the presidency, prime minister, and Speaker’s position to entrench national unity. The recent resignation of the Prime minister while in Saudi Arabia, due to increased Hezbollah operations in the nations, demonstrates its delicate stability amid external meddling. Furthermore, the refugee crisis in the nations threatens to tear the nation apart due to high costs and rising tensions.

The nation is home to over 1 million refugees from Syria, Palestine, and Iraq. The World Bank opines the nation will spend over $7.5 billion in assisting the refugees. However, its assistance to neighbors is likely to antagonize other neighbors, with Israel desire to shift its capital to Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, already causing tensions among Palestinian sympathizers.
Similarly, King Abdullah II decision to repossess land leased to the Israeli’s is likely to intensify animosity between the two neighbors (Peters, and Moore, 2009, 265). Syria’s prolonged conflict has denied Jordan trading benefits, with Iraq’s sectarian conflicts reducing its trading volumes with Jordan. Lebanon’s political gridlock, refugee crisis, and sectarian divisions highlight the delicate balance that exists in Jordan. Diplomatic prowess of the national government has ensured the nation steers clear from instability. The US ally continues to harbor nationalistic pride with its infusion of pluralism, that has detached it from the sectarian division (Köprülü, 2012, 1). The king was the first to be invited to the US after Trump’s inauguration, signifying its ability to navigate diplomatic circles to ensure stability. The pluralistic political leadership has ensured inclusivity and championed nationalistic values, which continue to influence stability in Jordan. Interestingly, the King’s amiable nature has restored peace and transformed its people to edify such character.
Research Questions
The research employs research questions to guide its attainment of the research objectives. The questions enquire on the nation’s current status, ability to maintain stability, and challenges in maintaining its status.
Which factors have enabled Jordan’s attainment of stability amid internal and external threats?
How do regional instability and domestic pressures threaten Jordanian stability?
Which factors shape the nation’s ability to maintain stability in the face of internal and external threats?
Which challenges threaten Jordan’s status?
Research Objectives
Jordan’s unique political landscape is elusive among its neighbors. Its uniqueness continues to downplay its ability to maintain its stability in the long-run. However, the school of thought is yet to provide meaningful expectations that will likely alter the trajectory. The economic turmoil is supposed to reflect the expected future of the nation, with the government keen on evolving from foreign aid dependency to a critical trade partner and enhance its human resource capacity. Therefore, the objectives of the research aimed at understanding the threats to its instability, identification, and evaluation of factors influencing stability, and demystifying the potential threats in the future (Peters, and Moore, 2009, 284). Understanding the threats enables the nation to identify ways of preventing the occurrence and reducing its likelihood. Similarly, as nations evolve, it is necessary to understand future threats to instability.
Importance to International Relations and Diplomacy
The topic is critical in extending the international relations understanding of political events. The topic enables experts in the field to map future relations and identify potential future influences among nations. Interestingly, with the emergence of China as a geopolitical superpower, and the waning power of the US, the current events will influence future thinking on nations relations. Similarly, the topic provides an example of international relations amid diversionary interests. Jordan’s ability to maintain stability will be necessary to nations such as Kenya and Egypt. Furthermore, the topic enables scholars to identify possible avenues of attaining peace, improve economic status, and entrench immigration policies that influence host nation stability.
Epistemological Assumptions
The study employs the interpretive approach. The approach seeks to understand Jordan’s use of realism in expanding its diplomatic relations with its neighbors. The study assumes that states take center stage in regional politics, unlike regional organizations. Furthermore, the political framework that exists is anarchic and has no supranational authority. Ultimately, the political players are rational and act in their best interest. All countries desire political power to ensure their survival (Köprülü, 2012, 1). The assumptions demonstrate the expected political relation among Jordanian neighbors and its effects on their inter-relations.
Qualitative Research Methods
The study uses qualitative methods to collect data. The techniques to be used include case selection, process tracing, and case studies. King Abdullah’s II revocation of the land lease with Israel (case selection), evaluation of historical diplomatic decisions (process tracing), and case studies on the effectiveness of their diplomacy will be used to discern its practicability.
Conclusively, the proposal demonstrates a gap in research in understanding how Jordan maintains fragile stability despite internal and external threats.
References
Köprülü, N., 2012. Monarchical Pluralism or De-democratization: Actors and Choices in Jordan.
Insight Turkey, 14(1).
Peters, A.M. and Moore, P.W., 2009. Beyond boom and bust: External rents, durable
authoritarianism, and institutional adaptation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Studies in Comparative International Development, 44(3), pp.256-285.