Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
Several of the challenges that Jordan and Syria currently face could be addressed if the two countries invested political capital in cooperating in three critical areas. While the bilateral relationship between Jordan and Syria became strained following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Amman and Damascus have been improving their ties in the last few years, particularly after Syrian President Bashar Assad called King Abdullah of Jordan in October 2021 to “discuss ways to enhance cooperation” between the two nations.
As a part of its broader plan for ensuring regional stability and security, Jordan has pushed for a peace plan that will end the conflict in Syria and allow Damascus’ readmittance to the Arab League. One of Amman’s plans, announced in April, was the formation of a joint Arab group that “would directly engage the Syrian government on a detailed plan to end the conflict. The detailed roadmap deals with all the key issues … and solving the crisis so that Syria can restore its role in the region and rejoin the Arab League,” an official told Reuters. Ultimately, the Arab League readmitted Syria in May, ending its decade-long suspension. Nevertheless, since the initial rapprochement between Jordan and Syria, their bilateral relationship does not seem to have advanced. Instead, it appears to have stagnated due to several obstacles that require close cooperation between the two nations.
The first issue is the smuggling of drugs from Syria into Jordan, which has not subsided since the rapprochement. Drug trafficking could destabilize trade between Jordan and Syria. One of the other problems of drug trafficking is that it undermines the social, economic and political stability of countries and subsequently leads to a rise in other crimes. This issue can become particularly threatening in a country such as Jordan, which has a large youth population. From Jordan’s perspective, the reintegration of Syria into the regional scene could help address this issue, as Damascus has, unfortunately, become a hub for the production of illicit drugs. The civil war, lack of security, political vacuum, economic crisis and isolation of the country by the international community have created a ripe environment for criminal groups to engage in an illicit economy and produce and smuggle illegal drugs into other countries. This multibillion-dollar industry in Syria is reportedly worth nearly three times the combined trade of the Mexican cartels.
Jordan has intensified its efforts to put an end to the flow of illicit drugs from Syria. The Jordanian military has been successful in downing some drones flying into Jordan while carrying crystal meth from Syria. Several meetings have been held between Jordanian and Syrian officials in order to address the illicit drug trade, but the issue remains unresolved. Assad and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met in Damascus in July and Safadi was said to have raised “the dangers posed by drug smuggling across the Syrian border into the kingdom, and the need for cooperation to confront it.” To address this issue, several critical steps should be taken. First of all, Syria and Jordan ought to create several coordinated joint committees, both political and military, that focus on enhancing border security, combating drug trafficking in the entire region and preventing drug smuggling across Syria’s border with Jordan. Amman can also seek the assistance of other Arab countries to persuade and pressure the Syrian government into cooperating with them in order to track down and dismantle the groups that are involved in the production and smuggling of illegal drugs. Incentives such as reinvigorating import and export opportunities and stronger economic ties generally can be offered to the Syrian government if it takes firmer action to put an end to this problem.
The second obstacle between the two nations is the refugee issue. In spite of the reengagement between Amman and Damascus, many Syrian refugees in Jordan have not yet returned to their homes, preferring instead to remain where they are. This is putting significant socioeconomic pressure on a country that has the second-largest number of refugees per capita in the world. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Jordan hosts some “675,000 registered refugees from Syria, who began fleeing in 2011 when the crisis in their country brought unimaginable suffering on its citizens. Most Syrian refugees in Jordan live in its towns and villages, among local communities. Only 17 percent live in the two main refugee camps, Za’atari and Azraq.”
To address this issue, peace, stability, economic growth and security in Syria are vital. These conditions are necessary to allow the sustainable return of Syrian refugees from Jordan. This means that, to enhance its ties with Amman, the Syrian government must adequately address the economic mismanagement of the country, the predominantly state-controlled economy and concentrate on the reconstruction of infrastructure. These could all play a key role in creating jobs and improving the economy. Syria could also attempt to attract investment from other countries. In a nutshell, in order for Jordan and Syria to further improve their bilateral ties, they must cooperate closely on three key platforms: border security, refugees and trade.
