Jordanians Protest US Troops, Fear Being Dragged into Syrian War

New Deployments Just the Tip of the Iceberg, Many Fear

Hundreds of Jordanians took to the streets of Amman today, protesting against the announced deployment of yet another 200 US troops to the nation, over fear that it will bring Jordan into the ever-growing Syrian Civil War.

“This is not in our national interest” was the chant, and the rally seemed to be dominated by leftists who are worried that installing the Islamist rebels in Syria is just going to set the stage for similar wars in Jordan and elsewhere across the region.

There were already US troops in Jordan training Syrian rebels, and the 200 extra troops is a small enough matter, but many believe it is just the tip of the iceberg, and US comments have done nothing but support that speculation.

Some of Syria’s more Islamist rebel factions have also made it clear that they believe Syria is just the beginning. Some are already getting heavily involved in fueling sectarian fighting in Lebanon, and fanning the flames in Iraq. Jordan is likely to be the next logical stop after those for fighters with regional ambitions.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.