With only one week left in Amman, the groups began the process of compiling their thoughts and notes into a form that is more conducive to creating clear and concise policy recommendations. In order to achieve this end, each group had lengthy and at times heated discussions that ran through the course of the day. Despite this fact, there is still research to be done, and each of the groups intends to meet with one or more contacts prior to the conclusion of our time in Amman.
For example, today the Political Reform group met with Asma Khader of the Hashemite Fund for Human Development. During this meeting, the group shed further light on several issues. Foremost among these was a better understanding of women's continuing participation in civil society and electoral politics. Mrs. Khader disscussed how the US faced problems and sensitivity when promoting certain women's issues. Along these lines, she acknowledged that it is important to "respect every human's right to believe, but not to be controlled by believers." While stressing the problem of religious extremism in the Middle East, Mrs. Khader also brought up the subject of religion in the West and challenged some of our ideas regarding religion and freedom in American society.
Our initial drafts of the policy memos are due tomorrow night and we look forward to a busy day of synthesizing information and putting it into a manageable form tomorrow.
While the first part of our project is coming to a close, we are only just beginning to get into the substance of the project and we are excited to see where the next phase in our studies will take us.
Alex B + Chas
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The group just returned from a weekend of fun in the ancient city of Petra and the scenic Wadi Rum nature preserve.
We began our weekend excursion at 5 AM on Friday morning. After a bit of trouble finding a taxi that early in the morning, we arrived at the bus station and rolled down the King's Highway to Petra.
In the town itself, we checked into the Petra Moon hotel and made our way to the gates of the ancient city. Walking down the Siq, the canyon-lined road down into the center of the city, we saw many tourists and a few façades embossed into the stone. It was difficult to imagine the grandeur of the city of rock-hewn buildings before erosion, but it was obvious that Petra was once a most magnificent city.
After viewing camels, the Treasury, and the amphitheater, we hiked up an adjacent mountain and found what turned out to be an island of calm - the monastery. The enormous structure stood isolated with few tourists, and it looked out over a spectacular view that showed us Israel and the Jordan River Valley.
We scrambled down the mountain and took a hair-raising bus ride up a mountain to view the sunset, and then proceeded to meet with the family of Abdullah, a former exchange student at West Point. His family was gracious and served us a huge meal of traditional chicken mensaf, which consists of chicken over rice and yogurt stew, with mint, toasted peanuts and pine nuts. The group devoured the meal, which was eaten in the traditional bedouin way: on the floor, with our hands. The mensaf was overwhelmingly good, and the groups divided for the post-meal discussion by gender.
We finished the weekend with a Sunday meeting at Al-Hussein bin Tallal University in Ma'an. We had a chance to sit in on an International Relations lecture and see the engineering department, the library, and various other buildings at this beautiful desert campus.
On our way back to Amman, we stopped once more at Abdullah's home, where we all received gifts of prayer beads, and the girls each received a hijab that was selected to match their outfits.
We began our weekend excursion at 5 AM on Friday morning. After a bit of trouble finding a taxi that early in the morning, we arrived at the bus station and rolled down the King's Highway to Petra.
In the town itself, we checked into the Petra Moon hotel and made our way to the gates of the ancient city. Walking down the Siq, the canyon-lined road down into the center of the city, we saw many tourists and a few façades embossed into the stone. It was difficult to imagine the grandeur of the city of rock-hewn buildings before erosion, but it was obvious that Petra was once a most magnificent city.
After viewing camels, the Treasury, and the amphitheater, we hiked up an adjacent mountain and found what turned out to be an island of calm - the monastery. The enormous structure stood isolated with few tourists, and it looked out over a spectacular view that showed us Israel and the Jordan River Valley.
We scrambled down the mountain and took a hair-raising bus ride up a mountain to view the sunset, and then proceeded to meet with the family of Abdullah, a former exchange student at West Point. His family was gracious and served us a huge meal of traditional chicken mensaf, which consists of chicken over rice and yogurt stew, with mint, toasted peanuts and pine nuts. The group devoured the meal, which was eaten in the traditional bedouin way: on the floor, with our hands. The mensaf was overwhelmingly good, and the groups divided for the post-meal discussion by gender.
The following day, the group woke for a day of desert tourism in Wadi Rum, a windswept landscape of multicolored sand, giant sculpted rock mountains, and ancient cave carvings.
We rented 4X4s and drove across the desert, climbed sand dunes, scrambled up mountains, and watched the sunset. We took lunch under a slightly-less-hot black goat's wool bedouin tent, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. We even caught a glimpse of King Abdullah's helicopters landing across the valley at his retreat.
We finished the weekend with a Sunday meeting at Al-Hussein bin Tallal University in Ma'an. We had a chance to sit in on an International Relations lecture and see the engineering department, the library, and various other buildings at this beautiful desert campus.
On our way back to Amman, we stopped once more at Abdullah's home, where we all received gifts of prayer beads, and the girls each received a hijab that was selected to match their outfits.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Inside Islamism
Today, the political reform group met with Dr. Abdul Latif Arabiyat, former secretary general for the Islamic Action Front. The IAF is the political wing of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, and it was interesting to hear the perspective from someone inside the movement upon which many of our other discussions have turned.
We met with Dr. Arabiyat in the formal and quite luxurious portion of his home near the University of Jordan. He began by listing the achievements of the Islamic movement in Jordan: pluralism and recognition of other parties, democratic internal structure, support for the political role of women, a universal citizenship model, and participation in Jordan's existing system.
Dr. Arabiyat seemed to prefer speaking in general terms about the effect of civil liberty restrictions on the Islamic movement and role of the movement in relation to the state rather than answer our direct questions about the impacts economics, the government of Jordan and US foreign policy have on the movement. Recent laws restricting civil liberties in Jordan have severely hampered the social work executed by the Muslim Brotherhood. For example, donors now have to register their contributions to the Brotherhood with the government, and the Public Gatherings law often limits events that the Brotherhood would like to hold. Dr. Arabiyat did make the interesting notation that the law itself only requires people to submit their event information before holding it; the granting of permission is not an explicit mandate of the law. Nevertheless, the authorities disperse certain events often by force and at the limit.
One of Dr. Arabiyat's main points was that a strong showing of Islamists in Parliament would "build confidence between people and the state". The Brotherhood has the social capital to continue to increase its support in Jordan because of the large amount of social work that they do. Not surprisingly, Dr. Arabiyat argued that these social programs strengthen the IAF's position among the people.
Working towards a relationship between citizens and the state that is based on rights and duties rather that favors and opportunities was reiterated in this meeting. Yet to the extent that the political IAF and socially minded projects of the Muslim Brotherhood, I worry that some Jordanians might simply begin to see the Islamic movement itself as a patron. If that is the case, the Islamic movement will truly have become a "parallel system" complete with its own bureaucracy, security and technicalities. In such a vision, the movement does not contribute to the flowering of truly ideological partisan politics in Jordan, but simply an alternative way to access power and resources.
-Margaret
We met with Dr. Arabiyat in the formal and quite luxurious portion of his home near the University of Jordan. He began by listing the achievements of the Islamic movement in Jordan: pluralism and recognition of other parties, democratic internal structure, support for the political role of women, a universal citizenship model, and participation in Jordan's existing system.
Dr. Arabiyat seemed to prefer speaking in general terms about the effect of civil liberty restrictions on the Islamic movement and role of the movement in relation to the state rather than answer our direct questions about the impacts economics, the government of Jordan and US foreign policy have on the movement. Recent laws restricting civil liberties in Jordan have severely hampered the social work executed by the Muslim Brotherhood. For example, donors now have to register their contributions to the Brotherhood with the government, and the Public Gatherings law often limits events that the Brotherhood would like to hold. Dr. Arabiyat did make the interesting notation that the law itself only requires people to submit their event information before holding it; the granting of permission is not an explicit mandate of the law. Nevertheless, the authorities disperse certain events often by force and at the limit.
One of Dr. Arabiyat's main points was that a strong showing of Islamists in Parliament would "build confidence between people and the state". The Brotherhood has the social capital to continue to increase its support in Jordan because of the large amount of social work that they do. Not surprisingly, Dr. Arabiyat argued that these social programs strengthen the IAF's position among the people.
Working towards a relationship between citizens and the state that is based on rights and duties rather that favors and opportunities was reiterated in this meeting. Yet to the extent that the political IAF and socially minded projects of the Muslim Brotherhood, I worry that some Jordanians might simply begin to see the Islamic movement itself as a patron. If that is the case, the Islamic movement will truly have become a "parallel system" complete with its own bureaucracy, security and technicalities. In such a vision, the movement does not contribute to the flowering of truly ideological partisan politics in Jordan, but simply an alternative way to access power and resources.
-Margaret
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Weddings and Health Care
Today, the refugees group met with Dr. Hashim Elzein, the World Health Organization Representative and Head of Mission for Jordan. We wanted to meet with him for two reasons; first, to better understand Jordan's health care system in general, and second to ask questions about the services the WHO is providing that apply to Iraqis living in Jordan. We went into the interview expecting to hear the party line based on our previous interview with UNHCR, which had essentially been a reaffirmation of what government officials already told us. We were pleasantly surprised, however. First of all, Dr. Elzein answered practically all our questions in his exceptionally informative briefing; this led to new and better informed questions that we were able to ask at the end. Second, he was fairly candid in his assessment of Jordan's health care system, a refreshing change from the government line that we had heard up to today.
The health care issue can be boiled down fairly simply. There are four categories of health care in Jordan -- private health insurance, government / public health insurance, non-insured Jordanians, and foreigners. The Jordanian government has agreed that Iraqis can be treated as non-insured Jordanians. This is only nominally better than foreigners are treated however, as both non-insured Jordanians and foreigners still have to pay 120% of all costs of drugs. While Dr. Elzein said he would "leave it to us" to determine whether or not Iraqis are actually able to access health care in the same way non-Jordanians are (and stories we have heard indicate that there is a lot of discrimination against Iraqis in the health care system), he also noted that there are multiple problems of access within the existing system. Both non-insured Jordanians and Iraqis do not have access to an acceptable level of health care.
Thus, in the arena of health care, the group is beginning to realize that the entire system needs an overhaul, not just the way Iraqis are able to access that system. The same is true for education; multiple people have told us that the problem with education is not that Iraqis are or are not allowed in schools. The problem is that the educational system is overcrowded and irrelevant, regardless of whether or not Iraqi children attend Jordanian public schools. Yet, even if the government were to begin an overhaul of the entire system, the trick, of course, would be finding a short-term solution until the system can be corrected.
Later this evening, we met with an Iraqi woman whose husband used to work as a translator for the US military. After several threats on his life and the lives of his family members, the family moved to Jordan. We learned that they were not given refugee status at UNHCR and have not even attempted to go to the US Embassy and request resettlement in the US, because they have no official documentation to prove that her husband was in fact a translator. The family lives off the income of one daughter, who as a university student has legal residency and thus is allowed to work. Yesterday, we met with another single-mother family and heard her story. These stories are hard to hear, but entirely necessary to our project. They are the equalizers to the good news the government spins, or the funding-driven information we are given by some NGOs. Of course, everything must be taken with a grain of salt, but this additional perspective is extremely valuable. We are constantly blown away by the hospitality of the Iraqis we meet; we cannot visit a single house without drinking juice, cola, or a cup of tea. Even as Americans, we have always been welcomed warmly and graciously, and the Iraqis are more than willing to tell their stories and let us ask them questions. One went so far as to say that the reason she was happy to speak with us was because she knew we were students trying to understand the situation, and she wanted to help us. Accepting the welcome and openness of these people has been a lesson in humility for me. Were the situation reversed, I wonder if I could be a generous with them as they have been with us.
As we left the apartment of the last woman we spoke to, a wedding was getting underway in the next street. Our Iraqi host became very excited and brought us over to take photos and chat. Of course, we were offered coffee and the next thing I knew, Piyali and I were being escorted up the stairs, into the women's section of the house. We stayed for about half an hour, were given gifts of chocolate and candy, and watched the beginning of what I'm sure was a long night of dancing. It was another great example of hospitality in Jordan, and a fantastic experience. At least Piyali and I speak a little Arabic; I think the boys were a little lost down in the men's section.
Tomorrow, we meet with the International Red Crescent Society. Hopefully we will connect with our friend and hear some more stories of Iraqis living in Jordan. Those conversations are always grueling and exhausting, but in my opinion are more than anything else the reason we are here.
- Nancy
The health care issue can be boiled down fairly simply. There are four categories of health care in Jordan -- private health insurance, government / public health insurance, non-insured Jordanians, and foreigners. The Jordanian government has agreed that Iraqis can be treated as non-insured Jordanians. This is only nominally better than foreigners are treated however, as both non-insured Jordanians and foreigners still have to pay 120% of all costs of drugs. While Dr. Elzein said he would "leave it to us" to determine whether or not Iraqis are actually able to access health care in the same way non-Jordanians are (and stories we have heard indicate that there is a lot of discrimination against Iraqis in the health care system), he also noted that there are multiple problems of access within the existing system. Both non-insured Jordanians and Iraqis do not have access to an acceptable level of health care.
Thus, in the arena of health care, the group is beginning to realize that the entire system needs an overhaul, not just the way Iraqis are able to access that system. The same is true for education; multiple people have told us that the problem with education is not that Iraqis are or are not allowed in schools. The problem is that the educational system is overcrowded and irrelevant, regardless of whether or not Iraqi children attend Jordanian public schools. Yet, even if the government were to begin an overhaul of the entire system, the trick, of course, would be finding a short-term solution until the system can be corrected.
Later this evening, we met with an Iraqi woman whose husband used to work as a translator for the US military. After several threats on his life and the lives of his family members, the family moved to Jordan. We learned that they were not given refugee status at UNHCR and have not even attempted to go to the US Embassy and request resettlement in the US, because they have no official documentation to prove that her husband was in fact a translator. The family lives off the income of one daughter, who as a university student has legal residency and thus is allowed to work. Yesterday, we met with another single-mother family and heard her story. These stories are hard to hear, but entirely necessary to our project. They are the equalizers to the good news the government spins, or the funding-driven information we are given by some NGOs. Of course, everything must be taken with a grain of salt, but this additional perspective is extremely valuable. We are constantly blown away by the hospitality of the Iraqis we meet; we cannot visit a single house without drinking juice, cola, or a cup of tea. Even as Americans, we have always been welcomed warmly and graciously, and the Iraqis are more than willing to tell their stories and let us ask them questions. One went so far as to say that the reason she was happy to speak with us was because she knew we were students trying to understand the situation, and she wanted to help us. Accepting the welcome and openness of these people has been a lesson in humility for me. Were the situation reversed, I wonder if I could be a generous with them as they have been with us.
As we left the apartment of the last woman we spoke to, a wedding was getting underway in the next street. Our Iraqi host became very excited and brought us over to take photos and chat. Of course, we were offered coffee and the next thing I knew, Piyali and I were being escorted up the stairs, into the women's section of the house. We stayed for about half an hour, were given gifts of chocolate and candy, and watched the beginning of what I'm sure was a long night of dancing. It was another great example of hospitality in Jordan, and a fantastic experience. At least Piyali and I speak a little Arabic; I think the boys were a little lost down in the men's section.
Tomorrow, we meet with the International Red Crescent Society. Hopefully we will connect with our friend and hear some more stories of Iraqis living in Jordan. Those conversations are always grueling and exhausting, but in my opinion are more than anything else the reason we are here.
- Nancy
Monday, June 16, 2008
Further on Inquiry
Today, the sub-topics split off once again and the two groups dealing with geopolitics--Bilateral Relations and US-Jordanian Security Cooperation--paired off for the day and headed to the University of Jordan's Center for Strategic Studies and later the UN's Office for Project Services. At the same time, the Political Reform subtopic met with a local journalist in an informal setting while the Refugee group met with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
At the University of Jordan, the geopolitics groups met with Dr. Ayman Khalil, an expert on regional security matters and nuclear non-proliferation. The groups discussed with Dr. Khalil the implications of further nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and local perceptions of nuclear threats to Jordanian security. Much of the dialogue focused upon Iraq and the general Arab sentiment that the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003 opened the door for further Iranian influence in the region. At the same time, Dr. Khalil stressed the importance of Arab nationalism, which both exacerbates the Arab-Israeli conflict and might also be used to foster a sense of Iraqi unity. Dr. Khalil's unique perspective provided an important counter-proliferation viewpoint to our research and we left the meeting with a better sense of how the Jordanian public views strategic developments.
Later, the geopolitics groups met with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). UNOPS' Iraq Operations Center in Amman coordinates all of its activity inside Iraq and its primary responsibility is to implement many of the projects with other UN organizations create the framework for. In this vein, UNOPS doesn't so much care about politics as results. Consequently, UNOPS has established a close working relationship with the United States in Iraq. While UNOPS would prefer to not receive direct funding from the Department of Defense, UNOPS would like to work with the State Department and USAID in the future to create sustainable reconstruction projects to improve the lives of Iraqis. The apolitical nature of UNOPS presents a great opportunity for the United States and other Coalition partners to contribute to the badly needed reconstruction efforts in Iraq which will ultimately help win the battle of ideas, which is proving ever so much more important than the battle of bullets.
The Refugee group had the privilege of visiting the private home of an Iraqi family late in the day. The group had an informal discussion with the family about their story and how they ended up in Iraq, and came away with a better sense of the human costs of war. While meetings with the UN and academics provide theoretical insights which are invaluable to understanding the dynamic situation on the ground, it was essential for the group to gain a first-hand perspective on the issue.
-Chas
At the University of Jordan, the geopolitics groups met with Dr. Ayman Khalil, an expert on regional security matters and nuclear non-proliferation. The groups discussed with Dr. Khalil the implications of further nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and local perceptions of nuclear threats to Jordanian security. Much of the dialogue focused upon Iraq and the general Arab sentiment that the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003 opened the door for further Iranian influence in the region. At the same time, Dr. Khalil stressed the importance of Arab nationalism, which both exacerbates the Arab-Israeli conflict and might also be used to foster a sense of Iraqi unity. Dr. Khalil's unique perspective provided an important counter-proliferation viewpoint to our research and we left the meeting with a better sense of how the Jordanian public views strategic developments.
Later, the geopolitics groups met with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). UNOPS' Iraq Operations Center in Amman coordinates all of its activity inside Iraq and its primary responsibility is to implement many of the projects with other UN organizations create the framework for. In this vein, UNOPS doesn't so much care about politics as results. Consequently, UNOPS has established a close working relationship with the United States in Iraq. While UNOPS would prefer to not receive direct funding from the Department of Defense, UNOPS would like to work with the State Department and USAID in the future to create sustainable reconstruction projects to improve the lives of Iraqis. The apolitical nature of UNOPS presents a great opportunity for the United States and other Coalition partners to contribute to the badly needed reconstruction efforts in Iraq which will ultimately help win the battle of ideas, which is proving ever so much more important than the battle of bullets.
The Refugee group had the privilege of visiting the private home of an Iraqi family late in the day. The group had an informal discussion with the family about their story and how they ended up in Iraq, and came away with a better sense of the human costs of war. While meetings with the UN and academics provide theoretical insights which are invaluable to understanding the dynamic situation on the ground, it was essential for the group to gain a first-hand perspective on the issue.
-Chas
June 15
Today the entire delegation attended a meeting with His Excellency Mr. Nasser Shraideh the Secretary General of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. Also in attendance were Miss Feda Gharaibeh, the Director of the Coordination Office for the Reconstruction of Iraq and members of her team. The meeting focused mainly on the impact that Iraqi refugees have made on the planning work of the ministry, particularly pertaining to services and resources. Unemployment was also mentioned as a central concern for the Ministry of Planning, as the increase in employment opportunities continues to be drastically outstripped by the growing number of educated young people in Jordan, a challenge compounded by the number of educated Iraqis without jobs or permits allowing them to work in the formal economy. These concerns of the Jordanian government regarding the Iraqi "guests" led into a discussion of Jordan's role in supporting political resolution in Iraq. This past week the visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki to Jordan highlighted the growing cooperation and involvement of the two neighbors.
For the afternoon and evening, the subtopic groups attended meetings pertaining to our particular research focuses, with the group focusing on refugees attending a meeting at UNHCR, and the group studying political reform rejoining with a prior contact and other journalists to discuss our understanding of the issues facing democratization. Over nargila and with the European Cup in the background, we discussed pillars upon which the establishment in Jordan stands (from their assessment) - the young economic reformers, the tribal leaders, and the security services - and the stability of these pillars given the economic challenges facing Jordan, especially in terms of the distribution of wealth and development. We also touched on the American election and the expectations that Jordanians have from either a McCain or Obama Administration. It was a refreshing experience to informally discuss the issues we've encountered in our interviews and broaden the scope of topics of our discourse. We will return to our formal meetings with a new set of questions and issues to broach.
On a separate note, I am consistently amazed by the importance of soccer in immediately connecting people across cultures. In my travels, the key to segueing into more candid conversations with people from other countries has been passion for soccer. The European Cup as the back drop to the evening facilitated a debate not just about who will win the tournament but about how US public diplomacy might benefit if the American public paid greater attention to the global game.
-Alex Taylor
Friday, June 13, 2008
Madaba
Today was the first day of our second weekend in Jordan. As no one will give interviews or meetings on the weekend, we are taking advantage of this time to explore other parts of the country and observe life and activity outside the capital. This afternoon, I went with Alex T, Margaret, and Ivette to Madaba, another Jordanian city about 1 hour from Amman. We took James, another Tufts student along with us; James has been traveling around the Middle East for a few weeks before enrolling in summer classes at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. It just so happens that next year James will be co-chair of the New Initiative for Middle East Peace, another program run through the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts. We were happy to take a fellow IGLer along with us.
We left our apartment at about 11 am and headed to a bus station in downtown Amman. With the help of some very gracious Jordanians, we found the public bus heading to Madaba and hopped on board. We found that taking the bus rather than hiring a cab just for ourselves was a fun way to interact with other people and practice our Arabic. It was also a lot cheaper, about one US dollar per person for a 1 hour ride.
Madaba is famous in Jordan for two reasons -- first, because of the beautiful mosaics found all around the city (many of which are quite old and still being restored) and second because it is still considered a largely Christian city. Before we even reached the city proper, which is located up on a hill, we passed the first church I have seen so far in Jordan. Our first stop in Madaba was St George’s Church, which hosts fragments of a mosaic map that once depicted all the sites mentioned in the Bible from Egypt to Jerusalem. We tried to get our bearings and identify the places on what was left of the beautiful mosaic. I had hoped that taking Professor Mufti’s infamous map quiz last fall would help me in situations like this, but we ended up relying more on the guidebook with us since the map, while extremely detailed, isn’t 100% geographically accurate. The atmosphere in the church was calm and serene, as we were some of the only people there, and we took our time looking at the paintings and elaborate ornamentation in the building. The arrival of a large tour group inspired us to head to our next destination, Mount Nebo.
I was a bit skeptical before actually going to Mt Nebo. I guess the idea of turning a Biblical site into a tourist destination is a little off-putting to me. Biblically, Mt Nebo is the hill Moses climbed to see the Promised Land before he died. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, or more than marginally impressed, by the place. I was pleasantly surprised, however, both by the somber and respectful treatment of the site and by the view itself. It was pretty awe-inspiring to look across the Dead Sea to the West Bank. Yet again, I was reminded of how close everything in this region is to everything else.
One official related a story to us in a recent meeting to illustrate this point. He described how, when flying into Amman over Israel, the pilot invited him into the cockpit to better see the view. On one side of the view, he said, he could see Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Amman in a straight line. On the other side, he saw Beirut, Damascus, and Baghdad. When I read about these places, I imagine them further apart, and more isolated from one another. Being here in Amman, so close to those five major cities as well as multiple other places that I read about in my classes at Tufts, has really drilled home for me the reality of space and place in the Middle East. Here in Jordan, a country often considered “a good house in a bad neighborhood,” I feel the weight and confluence of all the historical and contemporary realities that I’ve studied. I was wrong to view the war in Iraq as an event largely separate from the recent fighting in Lebanon, or from the political reform process in Jordan, or from a resolution to Israel-Palestine. These cities, the countries they are in and the events that happen in them, are anything but isolated from one another.
Later in the evening, after returning to Amman, we met up with Katie, a Fletcher alumna working at the US Embassy. We went with Katie to a café near our apartment to watch the soccer game between France and Norway. The café was virtually full of people, all smoking, drinking tea and coffee, and watching the game. I really enjoyed the experience; it’s true that sports bring people together.
Tomorrow we have plans to visit Jerash in the morning, followed by an afternoon and evening of preparation for our coming week’s meetings. I am particularly excited about meeting with UNHCR, the World Health Organization, and the UN Population Fund. We’ve yet to get the UN’s perspective on our topic, and it’s obviously a critical component of our topic. We are also setting up a focus group of Iraqis in Jordan through Save the Children, which will add a much-needed perspective to my group’s research. Though my group was initially looking at legal status for Iraqis in Jordan, the meetings we have had so far are pushing us in a different direction. We'd like to examine two contrasting frameworks that can be used by the Jordanian government and the international community to address the Iraqi refugee crisis in Jordan – first, viewing the refugees through the prism of their impact on traditional national security, or second, through the lens of human security. This will make for an interesting and relevant application of theoretical discourse to a concrete subject. In my opinion, it will be a fantastic basis for the policy memo that we will write at the end of the trip.
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