What is NATO Looking for in Jordan? (Part One)

By opening up an office in Jordan, NATO intends to strengthen its security position in West Asia, as well as provide the ground for the creation of an “Arab-Israeli NATO” in favor of Israel.

With the arrival of NATO in Jordan and the establishment of an official office in this Arab country, it seems that the West has begun a serious effort to strengthen its influence in West Asia, which may lead to the creation of an ” Arab-Israeli NATO” in favor of Israel.

The timing of NATO’s decision to establish a liaison office in Jordan is not a coincidence, given the tense and turbulent situation currently prevailing in West Asia. This move is consistent with NATO’s history of aggressive interventions in Libya and Ukraine in recent years, along with ongoing interventions in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Sudan. NATO’s arrival in Jordan shows a consistent pattern of interventionist policies by its member states that often violate international law and exacerbate regional instability.

NATO’s strategic position in West Asia

By setting up its office in Jordan, NATO is now in the heart of West Asia amid the turmoil in Iraq, Syria and occupied Palestine. Despite the strong presence of the military and intelligence agencies of the United States and other Western countries in Jordan for many years, the establishment of the NATO office today shows a strategic and urgent necessity on the part of this Western military alliance.

Jordan currently hosts about 3,000 US troops and important Western military infrastructure. The United States designated Jordan as a major non-NATO ally in 1996. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1949, Washington has given Jordan more than $31 billion in aid, and in 2022 pledged to provide Jordan with $1.45 billion in annual aid by 2029.

History of the Jordan-NATO alliance

Since the 1990s, Jordan has been a member of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue, along with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. When some NATO members took military action against Libya in the midst of the Arab Spring in 2011, Jordan was one of the few Arab countries that participated in the military operation. In addition, the Jordanian army and NATO forces have also conducted joint operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo in recent years.

However, the creation of a NATO office in Jordan—the first in the region—could be seen as an initial step toward a deeper involvement of NATO in West Asian conflicts.

In this regard, Jordanian strategic expert Munther al-Hawarat said in an interview with the Cradle that Amman wants to “strengthen its diplomatic partnership by anticipating developments in the region and also wants to support NATO in many logistical operations.”

When asked why at this time? al-Hawarat said: “I believe that if a confrontation between the occupying Israel and Hezbollah occurs, the possibility of expansion of the war is high and dangerous. Therefore, NATO’s presence in Jordan can create a kind of deterrence for this Arab country as it is geographically placed at the heart of any major war in the region.”

More cooperation between Jordan and NATO

It is also expected that after opening up an office in Amman, cooperation between Jordan and NATO will reach higher levels in various fields such as crisis management, counter-terrorism and cyber security. In addition, the Jordanian armed forces will probably receive more technical support and advanced technology from NATO. For Amman, such support could be critical in countering the growing threats to Jordan’s national security amid a period of regional turmoil and heightened geopolitical instability.

But the aim of NATO’s presence in Amman is more than creating deterrence for Jordan as a reliable ally of the West.

According to al-Hawarat, “The main, clear, and broad message that NATO wants to send by opening up this office in Jordan is that we are here in West Asia to deter any move for influence in the region by China, Russia and Iran.”