Jordan
Draining the Wala Dam in Jordan
Jordan’s water minister claimed he was preventing a tsunami by draining a dam that supplied vital irrigation for local farmers. Others say it was a cover-up for a far worse problem. Either way, the corruption in the sector is strangling livelihoods and the environment.
King Abdullah’s Non-Scandal in Jordan
Jordan’s King Abdullah was a central headline in the Pandora Papers scandal. But far from denting his reputation, the elites he draws his power from are seeing it as an attack on Jordan, giving rise to speculation bordering on conspiracy as to who’s behind it, reversioning other political events of the past year. As a result, sympathy for the king has only grown.
‘Everyone is Hamzah’
This week in Jordan sees the start of a trial for sedition and incitement, with charges brought against a member of the royal family and a formerly trusted adviser to the king, and the king’s half-brother Prince Hamzah taking the stand as a witness. Lydia Wilson uncovers how this unprecedented threat of instability to the kingdom feels to Jordanians.
Prince Hassan’s Progress
Prince Hassan bin Talal, ex-Crown Prince of Jordan, has no “delusions of grandeur” for himself but plenty of ambitious plans for his country. He talks to Newlines about his vision for a more participatory system in which the legion problems facing both the planet and human societies are addressed together.