Jordan, Intelligence and Security

The primary Jordanian intelligence agency is the Dairat al Mukhabarat, or General Intelligence Department (GID). The GID is charged with the collection and analysis of intelligence information. GID officials brief the government on matters of national security and coordinate efforts with the military and national law enforcement agencies. The focus of GID operations is the collection of intelligence pertaining to security issues within the Middle East, including surveillance of paramilitary groups and guarding borders to prevent an influx of refugees from the neighboring area of Palestine. The GID also provides the government with regular reports of the political climate of the nation and the surrounding region, though the means by which this information is gathered remains secret.

Because the Jordanian intelligence community is consolidated into one major agency, the GID maintains several special task forces devoted to specialized areas of intelligence, including counter-intelligence and communications surveillance. An anti-terrorism task force conducts operations to gather information on organizations working in Jordan and throughout the Middle East. The Jordanian government has aided international anti-terrorism efforts following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The government also employs GID staff

to monitor the security of government information systems and personnel. Security surveillance of the government also includes an anti-corruption department to root-out incidences of government abuse. Economic, industrial, scientific, and limited political espionage is also conducted by GID forces.

During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, Jordan was the only Arab country that did not openly condemn the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. However, the Jordanian government did not provide aid to the Iraqi government during the war and tried to maintain diplomatic relations with both Israel and the United States. Jordan opposed coalition military involvement in Iraq again in 2003, but permitted United States and British forces to use Jordan's airspace and bases for some operations. Jordan's monarchy and government continues to walk a tightrope in Middle East politics, signing a formal peace treaty with Israel in 1994 and fostering favorable diplomatic relations with the West, even though the majority of the nation's Arab population opposes both policies.

FURTHER READING:

ELECTRONIC:

Intelligence Services of Jordan. <http://www.gid.gov.jo/> (March 28, 2003).

SEE ALSO

Iraqi Freedom, Operation (2003 War Against Iraq),
Persian Gulf War