JORDAN: IN BETWEEN THE GULF AND THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN József Kádár The Emirate of Transjordan, today known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, was established by Great Britain after World War I in 1921. Its territory was part of the Ottoman Empire before World War I and was mainly inhabited by Arab tribes. Abdullah I bin al-Hussein was appointed the head (emir) of the new state. He was the second son of Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi, the sharif and emir of Mecca and the leader of the anti-Ottoman Arab Revolt that broke out in 1916. As a member of the Hashemite family, he was a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, so he—just as the Hashemites—always played an essential role in Middle Eastern politics. Transjordan itself “was an artificial product of a series of major political accidents during the implementation of the peace settlement”1 after World War I. Like the state itself, the name Transjordan was also artificial; the word means “the territory beyond the River Jordan,” in other words, the east bank of Jordan. During the first twenty-five years of its history, the new state was part of the British mandate system. The country was considered a military base and a buffer zone between the Eastern Mediterranean, the Gulf, and the Saudi territories, its role being to protect British strategic interests in the Middle East. Britain established an army, called the Arab Legion, which was led and trained by British military officers and consisted of Arab (mostly Transjordanian) soldiers. Emir Abdullah’s first task as head of state was to create all necessary state institutions and to deal with the Bedouin tribes, especially those who were not satisfied with the new central government. During the Ottoman era, the Bedouin tribes that lived in the Transjordanian desert had a relatively undisturbed life, as they lived far enough from the Ottoman administration. After World War I, the new situation made some tribes dissatisfied
because the government threatened the tribal chiefs’ traditional political role and, in some cases, their frustration turned into riots. The largest tribal rebellion against the new Transjordanian regime was the Balqa Revolt in 1923. Finally, the emir succeeded in being reconciled with the tribes and in stabilising the state. In 1928, the Anglo-Transjordanian Treaty was signed, and the so-called Organic Law was also adopted. The latter functioned as the first constitution of Transjordan. Both documents laid down the principles of relations between Britain and Transjordan and the emir’s rights and obligations. The agreement confirmed the ultimate authority of Britain, and its articles “reflected the British preoccupations with Transjordan hitherto, with strategic issues [. . .] and Britain’s relentless pursuit of efficient and effective governance [. . .] to the fore.”2 In the meanwhile, the development of the Transjordanian national identity began. John
Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein the emir of Transjordan (1921– 1946) and the king of Jordan (1946–1951) arriving at Amman in 1920 COUNTRY STUDIES
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