Jordanian King Warns of “New Extremist Alliance” in Region
Jordanian King Abdullah II gave a dire warning in a private meeting about a “new extremist alliance” including Muslim Brotherhood-run Egypt, reports Al-Hayat. Abdullah said that the alliance includes two Arab countries and another one in the region, likely referring to Iran and Syria. The unidentified Arab country could also have been Qatar, which is subsidizing the Muslim Brotherhood in the region.
Though Middle Eastern leaders are publicly fixated on Israel, it is telling that it was not even mentioned as a component of the threat facing Jordan. Abdullah understands that it is the Islamists that must be worried about. The United Arab Emirates seems to agree, as it publicly called for a coalition to oppose to the Muslim Brotherhood in October.
Abdullah made the remarks at a private meeting with non-Islamist opposition figures on December 10. He understands that a primary reason for the Brotherhood’s success is that it is a master of political coalition-building. He is now trying to beat them at their own game, seeing an opportunity because of the Brotherhood’s overreach in Egypt that has alienated its former coalition partners. The feedback from the meeting is that it resulted in an “unprecedented breakthrough” that could peel liberal opposition elements away, isolating the Jordanian Islamists.
