The faint drumbeat of war could be heard in the Jordanian capital after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced Feb. 4 and Feb. 7, respectively, that they would be willing to participate in a coalition ground offensive in Syria to take on the Islamic State (IS). A Turkish official was then quoted Feb. 16 by Reuters as saying Ankara would like to see a ground operation if a consensus can be reached. Pundits in Amman, however, have expressed concerns about Jordan being dragged into a land war in Syria, warning that it would not be in the kingdom’s interest to join a US-led campaign there.
The mood in Jordan is driven by the fear that Saudi Arabia, a close ally of the kingdom, is pressuring Amman to supply troops or open its borders for a land incursion into southern Syria or both. Political commentator Mohammad Abu Rumman told Al-Monitor that at least three influential Saudi columnists had criticized Jordan’s low-key response to the Jan. 2 attack against the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, following the execution of the Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
