Is the Gulf Bailout Enough for Crisis-hit Jordan? | Inside Story

Jordan has always been seen as an oasis of peace and stability in a volatile region. But it is a country of limited resources and increasingly in debt. Conflicts in neighbouring Iraq and Syria have dampened trade and it is had to absorb hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Budget cuts and tax hike plans have led to mass protests, toppling the prime minister. Gulf countries worried about another Arab Spring uprising have stepped in with $2.5bn in aid. And the European Union, whose foreign policy chief was in Amman on Sunday, has thrown in $23m.

What is at stake in a country of huge geopolitical significance?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Jawad Al-Anani - Chairman of the Amman Stock Exchange and a former Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs; Ibrahim Fraihat - Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution & Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies; James Moran - Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies who served as the EU Ambassador to Jordan and Yemen

How Will Jordan Deal with Public Anger? | Inside Story

Hundreds of Jordanians have spent the past few days voicing their anger at proposed tax increases - and what they say is the already intolerably high cost of living. They accuse the government of covering up failed economic policies and demand the resignation of Prime Minister Hani Al-Mulki.

Jordan's economy has struggled in recent years because of the conflicts in neighbouring Syria and Iraq, and a shortfall in foreign aid. Can a compromise be reached to avert a full-blown crisis? And what role are regional powers playing in the crisis?

Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault | Guests: Lamis Andoni – Journalist; Rami Khouri - Professor, American University of Beirut; Ibrahim Fraihat - Associate Professor in conflict resolution, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

Jordanians March Against Inflation
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Thousands vent anger in Amman and other cities against government's inability to rein in prices and poverty.

Thousands of Jordanians have taken to the streets of the capital Amman and other cities to protest against rising commodity prices, unemployment and poverty.

The protesters are calling on the government headed by Samir Rifai, the prime minister, to step down.

Demonstrators, including trade unionists and leftist party members, carried national flags and chanted anti-government slogans in downtown Amman.

They called Rifai a "coward" and demanded his resignation.

"Prices, particularly gasoline and food, are getting out of hand,'' Buthaina Iftial, a 24-year-old civil servant, said.

"We're becoming poorer every day,'' she said, holding a poster with a piece of Arabic flatbread attached.

Police and plainclothes officers formed rings around the demonstrators to contain the protests. There were no reports of arrests or violence. >>> Source: Agencies | Friday, January 14, 2011