Jordan: Can the Centre Hold?

The Jordanian government has just exposed a plot to attack official and foreign government sites inside the country. As this development illustrates, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is experiencing some of the fallout from the worsening war in Syria.  Situated at the heart of the Middle East and home to Palestinian refugees since 1948, plus others from Iraq and now Syria too, Jordan faces many challenges and has few resources. To explore the different factors in play, the stakes and the prospects come to participate in the discussion with:

Oroub El-Abed, a specialist on refugee and development-related issues in the Middle East. She has worked with the World Bank, the UN, Jordanian Department of Palestinian Affairs, the IFPO and consulted for various INGOs. Her book, Unprotected: Palestinians in Egypt since 1948, was published in 2009. Oroub is currently completing a PhD at SOAS.

Dr Christopher Phillips, a Lecturer in the International Relations of the Middle East at Queen Mary, University of London, and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. He specialises in the role of identity in the contemporary Middle East, with a focus on Jordan and Syria in particular. His book, Everyday Arab Identity: The Daily Reproduction of the Arab World, was published in 2012.

The event is open for the public and will be held at A130, College Building, 280 St John Street, City University London EC1V 4PB, on November 14th 2012.