A Royal Dispute or an Attempted Coup in Jordan, with Dr. Ziad Abu-Rish

On April 3rd, rumors started circulating about the arrest of Jordan’s former crown Prince Hamzah Bin Hussein, and some senior officials. A brief statement by the army denied the arrest but confirmed the prince was asked to stop, what the statement called, activities that were employed to target Jordan's security and stability.

In a leaked video, Prince Hamzah said that he was placed under house arrest and denied involvement with foreign powers, and aligned himself with the Jordanian street which is growingly frustrated by what he called the corruption and incompetence of the system.

How can we understand this turmoil inside the royal family and is there truly a rift at the highest ranks of the Jordanian regime? How do these events link to the public discontent around the country's suffering economy? And how will it impact civil liberties and the social and political movements already bearing the brunt of restrictive anti-terrorism and cybersecurity laws.

To learn more I spoke with Dr. Ziad Abu-Rish, the director of the MA program in Human Rights and the Arts at Bard College. A historian by training, his research focuses on popular mobilizations and state formation in Jordan and Lebanon. Abu-Rish is also co-editor of Jadaliyya e-zine.