So Many Meetings, So Little Time to Blog

Whew! It has certainly been a busy few days. It's been almost a week since my last post, and in that time we've had four amazing meetings and a very busy weekend. If you would like to read more details about last weeks' meetings than I have included below, please visit our group blog.

Our meeting at the US Embassy last Wednesday was an excellent way to kick off our research. Amb. David Hale honored us by spending a half hour speaking with us about the diplomatic relationship between Jordan and the US, and taking our questions. I for one was completely star-struck when the ambassador came in- this is someone who topped our "dream list" of contacts when we first started thinking about interviews this winter. We also met with deputies from the political, economics, public affairs, USAID, a security assistance branches of the Embassy. Everyone at the Embassy was encouraging of our research, and we have scheduled meetings with almost all of them for the coming weeks.

When we returned Jebel Amman that afternoon for more groceries, Piyali, Alex B and I attracted a lot of attention in the produce market. Because this time we were actually shopping rather than passing through, we had the time to talk with Saleh, an Iraqi refugee. Since Piyali and Alex are working on the refugee subtopics, they were elated. I too, was astounded when he procured his 4x4 UNHCR card. Unfortunately our surprise (and language skills, and the fact that we didn't have a consent form) prevented us from interviewing him on the spot. However, meeting him was a confidence boost that perhaps as students we will be able to bring perspectives as divergent as the Embassy and the "street" together in our research findings.

Thursday we met with Eva Abu Halaweh, director of Mizan, a Jordanian NGO. Mizan (meaning "balance") was established by lawyers in 1988 to promote democracy and civil rights in Jordan. In addition to running public awareness campagins about the rights protected by Jordan's constitution, the group provides free legal counsel to vulnerable populations including children, women at risk, and refugees. It was interesting to hear her say that Jordanians expect favors, not rights, from their government. Mizan is trying to change that.

We also spoke off the record with a representative of CARE International, a multilateral organization that offers services to Iraqi refugees in Jordan. One theme surfaced in all of our meetings: measuring the true volume of Iraqi refugees in Jordan has much more to do with pointing fingers and access to donor funding than simply looking at demographic data.

Thursday evening is the start of the weekend in the Middle East, and we celebrated the end of our first week and the success of our initial meetings by heading out to Rainbow Street. In both clientele and atmosphere, "La Calle" could have been a hip lounge in any East Coast city. The next morning we were up early and chartered a bus to take us to the Dead Sea.

I had been warned, "Floating in the Dead Sea is one of those things you know is true, but you don't quite believe it until you actually do it." This was certainly the case. It took a few minute for me to get used to the fact that treading water was unnecessary to remain a good head and shoulders above the surface. In such circumstances, one is at quite a loss as what exactly to do with one's arms. My favorite pose was to sit Buddha-style. Keeping my hands in my lap took too much of an effort, so I let them float to the surface. We paid 20JD to use the private beach and pools of the Dead Sea Spa Hotel, and it was nice to have showers to rinse off the salt, umbrellas under which to reapply sunscreen and take naps, and a water slide on which to make absolute fools of ourselves.

When we came back Friday afternoon, we were exhausted. Saturday was spent wrapping up reflections and thank-you notes for last weeks meetings, and heading out into Amman in groups for a little sight seeing.

Yesterday we met with Mohammed Abu Rumman, a journalist for Al Ghad and expert on Islamist movements, and his friend Dr. Hassan Barari, a researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan. They were both absolutely amazing sources for information on Jordan's political reform process.

Jordan's Electoral Law is at the root of a system that gives disproportionate power to tribes in rural areas (who are traditional government supporters) and sidelines voters in the cities (where there are higher concentrations of Palestinian Jordanians and opposition parties like the Muslim Brotherhood have more support). In doing my background research, I felt that in absence of the repeal or reform of this law, creating a lively democracy within Jordan would be nigh impossible. After meeting with Mr. Ramman and Dr. Barari, however, I have begun to think of alternative ways in which Jordanians can work within this system to expand their political horizons.

Although we have only spoken formally with three professional Jordanians, I am getting the distinct sense that the United States credibility is almost completely destroyed. Sadly, this only confirms my fears. People seemed to have mixed views about whether or not the next president will be able to repair the US reputation. Based on reading and my experiences so far, most of this cynicism in Jordan comes from a perceived discrepancy between sweeping statements of US values and US actions in the region (democracy vs. non-recognition of Hamas, human rights vs. support for Saudi Arabia).

My understanding of the Public Diplomacy division at the US Embassy to define and prosecute this distinction between American values and policy in countries where they operate (like Jordan). I find it interesting that when there is a gap between our values and policies, we effectively run marketing campaigns to soften this difference, rather than shifting policies closer to values. This is something I hope to discuss further with US Embassy officials when we meet with them later this month.

We are continuing print research even as we have meetings on the ground, and I am including a list of some shorter readings along the side of this blogs for those who might want to become more acquainted with the substance of our research.