The controversy over Jordan’s future role and actions in southern Syria and western Iraq is yet to subside following renewed pledges on June 14 by King Abdullah that the kingdom will go ahead with plans to arm tribes in these regions in a bid to stop the expansion of Islamic State (IS) extremists and secure the country’s borders.

Speculation about a major shift in Jordan’s strategy toward its two war-torn neighbors became rife when the king presented the armed forces with a Hashemite flag during a solemn ceremony June 9, which observers said was highly symbolic and loaded with messages. The royal court said in a statement, “The Hashemite flag’s colors and motifs combine elements of history, legitimacy, religion and Arabism found in the Hashemite family and the Great Arab Revolt.”

In an attempt to explain the meaning of this move, Jordanian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Mashal al-Zaben told armed forces radio June 10, “The banner will not replace the official Jordanian flag and the ceremony is meant as a message to others that our patience has limits.” He added, “The army will fend off outlaws and terrorists and that its role is no longer limited to defense but will act as a deterrent.” It remained unclear what the new approach to external threats will look like.

But an article published June 14 by political commentator Maher Abu Tair in the daily Ad Dustour created an unexpected public uproar. He wrote that the “[historical] functional description of Jordan could be changing and that Amman could become the capital of a new Arab kingdom” expanding into parts of Iraq, Syria and the West Bank. He added, “Jordan, like other countries in the region, is threatened with sabotage and fragmentation … or it could declare itself as an incubator for Arab Sunnis. Either we expand under a new formula or cease to exist!”