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Democracy
and the Sovereignty of Law, edited by Hussein Abu Rumman. Sindabad
Publishing House, 1997. 235 pages (Arabic)
Democracy
and the Sovereignty of Law
contains the deliberations of a seminar held by the Al-Urdun Al-Jadid
Research Center (UJRC) with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. August
Hanning and Albrecht Weber discuss German experiences, the role of the
constitution, federal machinery, and the federal constitutional court;
Edda Schliepack examines the importance of opposition in a democracy;
and Slobodan Milacic considers the unwanted political consensus and the
threat of the democratic opposition. He also writes about judicial
independence in France. Attorney Anis Kassem deals with the topic of
constitutional law in Palestine; Adel Sherif discusses the Supreme
Constitutional Court in Egypt and its role in consolidating the
democratic experiment; and Nizam Barakat discusses the role of the
Supreme Court in the Israeli political system. Presentations on Jordan
include attorney Asma Khader on the constitutionality of the laws;
former Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah Nsour on the relationship between
the majority and the opposition in the parliament; Kamal Nasser, former
president of the Jordanian Bar Association, on democracy and the
sovereignty of law; and Hanna Hatter on the role of the judiciary in
protecting the march of democracy. The volume includes comments by
former government officials and members of the parliament as well as
judges, lawyers, and professors of history and law.
Toward
an Appropriate Democratic Electoral Law,
edited by Khadijeh Habashneh. Sindabad Publishing House,
1997. 100 pages (Arabic)
UJRC
published the proceedings of this seminar, held in November 1996 in
collaboration with the Jordan Research Center at Yarmouk University, in
its series on “Civil Society and Political Life in Jordan.” This
series preceded elections for the House of Representatives in November
1997, the third election held since the democratic transformation began
in 1989. The proceedings cover the importance of the electoral law for
democratic transformation as well as the development of political life
and party pluralism. They make clear that there were several points of
agreement among representatives of the various political and party
trends. They also highlight the increasing discussion of allocating a
quota for women in the House of Representatives and the diminishing
reservations over this quota. Ideas for a new electoral law are
submitted by Upper House member Na'ilah Al-Rashdan and House of
Representatives members Salim Al-Zu'bi, Salih Sha’watah, and Abdul Al-Rahim
Al-'Ukour, who reviews the various electoral systems and points out the
shortcomings of ‘one man, one vote’ when applied in Jordan. These
participants assert that the law must be amended and replaced with a
more modern electoral system that could unify the country and strengthen
the chances of representation of political forces and parties.
The second part includes the deliberations at a roundtable on achieving
a national consensus on a new electoral system, in which academics,
members of parliament, and politicians participated. The participants
agreed upon several recommendations, notably the formation of a joint
committee of government representatives, party, and women leaders to
reach a unified perception of the new electoral law. They emphasized the
need to achieve equality among electoral constituencies so that there
would be the right balance between the number of seats and the number of
people residing in districts.
Jordanian
Women and the Electoral Law,
edited by Hussein Abu Rumman. Sindabad Publishing House,
1997. 142 pages (Arabic)
This
seminar on the effect of the electoral law on women's participation in
the democratic process sought to consolidate women's political
participation in democratic life. Hussein Abu Rumman reviews the impact
of the electoral law on the nature and extent of the democratic
transformation and the impact of the complicated legal procedures for
registration and voting on women's participation. Attorney Asma Khader,
president of the Jordanian Women's Union, examines the repercussions of
the electoral law for women as well as the effects of the distribution
of polling centers, the women's quota, electoral lists, and electoral
platforms on female participation. The third paper, on the experiences
of women in managing electoral campaigns, includes testimonies by women
who waged parliamentary campaigns, such as Toujan Faisal, Nadia Bushnaq
(president of the Jordanian Women’s Union-Zarqa branch), Idah Al-Mutlaq
of Yarmouk University, and Huda Fakhouri, medical doctor and newspaper
columnist.
Khadijah
Habashneh, coordinator of Women’s Affairs at UJRC, discusses the
concept of a quota for women as a way to guarantee the participation and
proper representation of women in the electoral process. She addresses
the reasons for the low rate of female participation in political
parties, defends the quota system, calls for reviewing the electoral law
in order to advance the democratic process, and offers comparative data
from other European and Asian countries. Leading women and academic
figures join in discussing ways to promote women’s participation in
the electoral process. Jordanian
Women and the Electoral Law includes the text of a memorandum from
Jordanian women in which they demand fair participation.
The
Media and Freedom of the Press in Jordan,
prepared by Hani Hourani, George Hawatmeh,and Said
Essoulami. Sindabad Publishing House, 1998. 190 pages (Arabic;
summaries in English)
The
UJRC held a seminar just before the 1997 parliamentary elections, in
collaboration with Article 19 (The International Center Against
Censorship) and the Arab and International Center for Media Studies, in
order to assess the progress of the Jordanian media and press during the
phase of democratic transformation. The proceedings include the views of
various press and media trends, political forces, and non-government
organizations as well as the demand to enact a modern press and
publications law. Former Information Minister Ibrahim Izzulddin reviews
the impact of press and publication laws on the freedom of press and
expression in the 1990s, and researcher Marcel Pot reviews the
conditions of the press since the democratic process was launched. Basim
Sakijha analyzes the impact of the amendment to the Press and
Publications Law of 1997 on the press and journalists. Toby Mendel,
chief of the Legal Section at Article 19, explains the international
legal framework for freedom of the press. Attorney Asma Khader examines
the amendments and Isa Jahamani, former director of the Press and
Publications Department, gives his views on the cabinet decision to
suspend several weekly newspapers. The third chapter sheds light on the
new realities facing the press. Taher Al-Adwan, chief editor of Al‑Arab
Al-Yawm,
discusses the conditions of the daily newspapers, Nidal Mansour
discusses the weekly newspapers, and Mahmoud Al-Rimawi reviews the
experience of the party press. The fourth chapter deals with the
position of the parliament and the judiciary toward freedom of the
press, in part based on a paper by attorney and former parliament deputy
Faris Al-Nabulsi. Attorney and former Supreme Court President Fahed Abu
Al-Uthum discusses the judiciary and freedom of the press. Hasan
Abdallah Ayed, a researcher at the Ministry of Culture, examines
parliamentary media and the press. The fifth chapter discusses the
elections and the mass media. Saeed Essoulami, head of the Middle East
and North Africa Section in Article 19, reviews international principles
and criteria related to the use of the media in election campaigns. Hani
Hourani discusses the position of the official media toward the
political parties and the last Jordanian elections. Chapter six
discusses the question of information technology, the press, and the
public. Rami Khouri, writer and journalist of the Jordan
Times, discusses the public's perception of the mass media. Usamah
El Sheriff, chief editor of The
Star, discusses the impact of the information revolution on Jordan.
Finally, The Media and Freedom of
the Press in Jordan includes the roundtable deliberations about the
future of the press and the media in Jordan. It also includes the text
of Supreme Court decision number 226/97 and various cartoons and
summaries of the topics in English.
Jordanian
Political Parties,
prepared by a team of researchers at the UJRC, supervised by Hani
Hourani. Sindabad Publishing House, 1998. 213 pages (Arabic)
Jordanian
Political Parties
provides a comprehensive guide and indispensable reference to the
nineteen parties that existed in 1998. It lists each party's program,
organization, parliamentary representation, leading figures, date of
establishment, number of founders, addresses, and telephone numbers. The
UJRC had issued a guide to political parties in Jordan in 1993, in which
it introduced seventeen parties that were registered with the government
in accordance with Political Parties Law number 32 of 1992, together
with an appendix on four parties that were registered later. The new
guide contains an introduction by Hani Hourani on the history of party
life from 1921 to November 1997, followed by chapters on parties with
Islamic, nationalist, leftist, and centrist trends. The guide includes
an appendix on the centrist parties that merged with the Constitutional
National Party. Hourani concludes:
Political
parties in Jordan stand at a decisive crossroads. The results they
achieved in the last election are not the only indicator of the decline
of their presence in Jordanian society and public life. They are also
retreating in parliament, and this is an indicator that should not be
overlooked or excused by the election boycott. Other indicators show the
retreat of the position and influence of political parties in the
various aspects of public life and the organization of civil society.
Hourani
blames the political parties for lacking the minimum conditions needed
to be serious parties–insufficient membership, financial power, a
media platform, serious representation in parliament, and enrollment of
intellectuals. The lack of these conditions weakens political parties’
ability to attract citizens and deprives them of the chance to exert
effective influence over the policies of the state.
The
Muslim Brotherhood Group in Jordan,
by Ibrahim Gharaybeh. Sindabad Publishing House, 1997. 301 pages
(Arabic)
Ibrahim
Gharaybeh, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), analyzes its
history, political experiences, and patterns of performance in Jordanian
public life. He divides its history into four phases: the founding phase
(1946-52), the rise of Arab nationalism and leftist parties (1953-67),
the rise of Islamic movements (1968-89), and the democratic
transformation since 1989. Gharaybeh then reviews the basic principles
of the MB, its political and reformist platform, its ideological and
theoretical line, its organizational structure and activities, and the
way it educates its members. He discusses MB politicians' perceptions of
such issues as democracy, pluralism, freedoms, public rights,
minorities, women, and political participation, as well as their general
views on reform of the individual and society. He analyzes the MB's
political performance in parliamentary and party work, national and
international issues, the Palestinian issue, and the executive branch of
government. This is followed by an analysis of the MB's experience in
the public, developmental, and pastoral fields, including voluntary work
and charity societies, mosques, municipalities, trade union and student
activities, and the press, media, and publications. The last chapter
addresses issues that will face the MB in the future, including the
society and the state, social and economic interactions, organizational
interactions and dynamism within the Islamic movement, social and
cultural transformations in the Arab World and the world at large,
future positions they may occupy, and their perception of the
Palestinian issue. The appendices contain resumes of prominent MB
figures, the 1945 Regulations governing the work of the MB, the 1976
articles of association, the 1982 International Organization of the MB,
the Financial Regulations, and the sources of funding.
Islamic
Movements and Organizations in Jordan,
edited by Hani Hourani and Hussein Abu Rumman. Sindabad Publishing
House, 1998. 294 pages (Arabic and English)
Islamic
Movements and Organizations in Jordan
is part of the program on “Studies on Political Islam,” that UJRC
initiated in 1995 to delve deeper into the study of contemporary Islamic
movements that have a political nature and to compare these movements
with each other. Ali Abdul Kazim, a sociologist at the University of
Jordan, covers the historical and ideological background of the Muslim
Brotherhood Group (MB) on the organizational, political, and social
levels. He also addresses the qualitative changes at each level and the
development of the MB's relationship with the government and political
movements since the 1950s. Ibrahim Gharaybeh discusses the political and
organizational performance of the MB, which reflects its stands towards
domestic policies, party and parliamentary action, and relations with
the government. Taleb Awad, political and economic researcher at UJRC,
outlines the MB's organizational structure and activities from its
establishment in 1946 to 1996. He reviews its political achievements,
based on coexistence with the Jordanian political regime and
participation in parliamentary life. He discusses the future role of the
MB in light of the current situation and of its ideological foundations.
Ahmad Jamil Azem, researcher in international affairs, provides a
historical review of the establishment of the Islamic Action Front
Party, its official licensing, and the problems that emerged when it was
founded, particularly with non‑MB members (independents). He
discusses its achievements, the growth in its membership, the election
of the Shura Council, and its performance in various phases as well as
its handling of important issues such as ‘one man, one vote,’ the
Middle East peace process, and its position toward the executive branch
of government. He discusses the problem of the relationship between the
party and the MB. His research paper is based on an earlier UJRC book by
Hani Hourani, Taleb Awad, and Hamed Dabbas. Zaid Ayadat, researcher in
political science, reviews the different views within the Islamic
movement on the issue of political participation and assesses the
participation of the Islamists in previous parliaments. Walid Hammad,
researcher in social and developmental issues, examines Islamist’'
voluntary and social work. He introduces Islamic and charitable
societies in terms of the size of their membership and financial
resources. He discusses the role of women in these societies, increasing
Islamic influence on the popular level, and the fact that Islamic
organizations are enhancing their political influence through these
societies. Dabbas describes associations engaged in Islamic work in
Jordan. He summarizes their political, charitable, and cultural
activities in his review of three groups and political parties,
seventy-two charitable societies, four Islamic centers and institutes,
and four Islamic committees and clubs. In the final chapter, Hourani
considers the future of the Islamic movement by examining the challenge
of transforming into a modern political and democratic movement and the
impact of the internal crisis on the Islamic movement. He assesses the
movement's experience after it decided to boycott the 1997 parliamentary
elections. Islamic Movements and
Organizations in Jordan contains appendices, important documents,
and a brief guide to the Islamic organizations, societies, institutions,
parties, and movements.
The
Political Awareness of the Sources of Threat to Arab National Security:
The Views of Intellectuals in Jordan,
by Basim Tubasi. UJRC and Sindabad Publishing House, 1997. 144 pages
(Arabic)
Basim
Tubasi defines sources of threat and Arab national security priorities
in order to formulate an Arab national security doctrine based on
political participation and democratic expression. His quantitative
approach facilitates reaching clear, accurate and scientific results. He
first discusses the theoretical approaches and methods and next
discusses the political environment in the 1990s. The final chapter
analyzes the results of a poll of the public’s awareness of the
sources of threat to Arab national security. Tubasi argues that this
threat is posed by inter-Arab conflicts, some of which have reached the
point of explosion. Threats are also posed by domestic challenges that,
in some Arab countries, represent a bleeding wound that undermines their
potential and capability. Moreover, threats are posed by regional
conditions pertaining to the Arab-Israeli conflict and relations with
other neighboring countries.
There is also the international dimension which is interlocked with the
regional and local ones. Other complications are caused by the policies
of major countries or alliances that influence international relations.
Tubasi strongly advocates that the Arab nation should exercise its right
to choose its political and social systems and strengthen its cultural
identity. He approaches this issue from a political-cultural standpoint
rather than a purely military standpoint.
Perhaps the more important conclusion of this pioneering study is that
in the last decade, fifty years after the Arab-Israeli conflict, the
sources of threat to Arab national security have become
multi‑faceted, particularly on the regional level. Thus, the Arab
political mind must conduct a comprehensive reformulation that takes
into consideration the need for democratic expression to “instill the
Arab national convictions into the conscience of the Arab masses,
particularly the belief in Arab nationalism and the basics of Arab
national security; this is the role which the Arab elite and opinion
leaders should play.”
The study offers a profound analysis of the degree of political
awareness in the source of threat to Arab national security. It
represents a serious effort to enhance and deepen awareness of national
security and enable decisionmakers and researchers to use accurate and
objective information
The
Algerian Crisis: Where to?,
by Hatem Rashid. Sindabad Publishing House, 1998. 74 pages (Arabic)
This
symposium was published on the tenth anniversary of the events that led
to political and party pluralism in Algeria, during the era of President
Chadli Ben Jadid. Discussants include Bassam Al-Umoush, Jordanian
Minister of Administrative Development and former parliament deputy
representing the Islamic Action Front Party, Algerian journalist
Baujadah Alawah, and Al-Arabi Al-Khayrouni, counselor at the Algerian
embassy in Amman.
Author Hatem Rashid provides historical background on Algeria, covering
culture, population, the colonial period, and its impact on inherited
structures of society. He casts light on the struggle of the National
Liberation Front and the roots of the current crisis. He discusses
Pan‑Arabism, Berber intellectuals, the impact of culture and
education, and language dualism in public life. He examines the economic
factor, the characteristics of development and industrialization, the
roots of party life, party aspirations, the impact of Islamic currents,
and relationships between the Islamic currents, on the one hand, and
other political parties and the military authorities, on the other.
Rashid also analyzes the results and implications of the parliamentary
elections and the violence that followed. He discusses the dimensions of
the Algerian crisis and ways of overcoming this crisis.
The
Jordanian Economy in Its Regional and International Framework.
Edited by B. Kay Abbadi.
Conference proceedings. Sindabad
Publishing House, 1998. 545 pages. (English)
The
Jordanian Economy
consists of working papers and comments which were submitted to the
conference “The Jordanian Economy in its Regional and International
Frameworks.” The conference was organized by the Al‑Urdun
Al‑Jadid Research Center, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the
University of Pennsylvania during the period from 26 to 29 May 1996 at
the Royal Cultural Center in Amman. The Minister of Planning, Dr. Rima
Khalaf, deputizing for the prime minister in his capacity as sponsor of
the conference, in addition to economic experts and academics from
Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, the Federal Republic of
Germany, and the United States of America participated in the
conference.
The
book consists of eleven chapters. The first chapter deals with the Arab
economies: from international to regional transformations, regional
developments and the world economic crisis. The second chapter deals
with the Jordanian economy within the framework of the likely scenarios
of regional alliances. The four subsequent chapters cover the following
sectors of the Jordanian economy: water, agriculture, industry,
transportation, banking, the stock market, and foreign trade. The
seventh chapter deals with the requirements of the structural adjustment
of the Jordanian economy. The eighth chapter deals with the economic
role of the state in a liberalized Arab economy (Jordan). The ninth
chapter focuses on the varying perceptions of the future relations among
Jordan, Palestine and Israel. The ninth chapter reviews the works of the
roundtable, “The Middle East and the Future Arab Economic Cooperation
and Integration.” Finally, the eleventh chapter discusses the working
papers of the conference’s preparatory committee.
These focuses open the door for researchers, decisionmakers and persons
interested in such topics to review and examine the various dimensions
of the challenges which the Jordanian economy is facing within its
regional and international frameworks. In fact, such a thorough
presentation of the topics mentioned above makes this book a modern,
indispensable reference on the Jordanian economy and the economies of
the Arab region.
Who's
Who in the Jordanian Parliament, 1997-2001,
prepared by Hani Hourani and Ayman Yaseen. Sindbad Publishing House,
1998. 230 pages. (Arabic and English)
This
Who’s Who introduces the
members of Jordan’s thirteenth Parliament, which will represent the
legislative branch of the Jordanian government from November 1997 until
late 2001. The Jordanian Parliament consists of two chambers, the Lower
House and the Upper House. The Lower House, or Chamber of Deputies,
comprises eighty representatives elected in November 1997. The Upper
House, or Senate, contains forty members designated by a royal decree
issued by the King immediately after the election of the Chamber of
Deputies in accordance with the provisions of Article 36 and the fifth
chapter of the Jordanian Constitution. The two houses meet at the same
time and have identical terms of session. If the Chamber of Deputies is
dissolved or its sessions suspended, the sessions of the Upper House are
suspended as well (see Article 11 of the Jordanian Constitution). The
two houses together form Jordan’s legislative authority. There are
twenty-two articles in the Constitution containing comprehensive
provisions governing their functions; four articles deal exclusively
with the Upper House and eight with the Lower House.
Who’s
Who begins with a
comprehensive introduction highlighting the most important phases of
development in Jordanian parliamentary life, from the founding of the
Jordanian state to the present. The introduction is followed by two
major sections containing summarized political and professional
biographies of the current members of the Upper and Lower Houses
respectively. The mechanisms according to which these Houses function
are described in each section. Who’s
Who also incorporates several helpful annex tables providing general
facts and information on the nature and structure of the two houses and
the composition of their membership. This supplementary section
furnishes the names of successful candidates in the 1997 elections and
the number of votes they received, as well as details relating to the
vote of confidence on the government of Prime Minister Abdul Salam
Majali (the first government formed during the term of the thirteenth
Parliament). The data provided in this section may help readers better
understand the positions of various members on particular issues and the
voting trends that have prevailed in recent years.
Who’s
Who includes details relating to the parliamentary blocs and the
various House committees, along with facts relating to the members’
party affiliations, professional background and stance towards the
ratification of the Jordanian‑Israeli peace treaty. The
information provided with regard to each member of Parliament is based
on responses to a questionnaire drafted by the Center’s researchers
and sent to the parliamentarians to complete. In most instances the
researchers used additional sources of information, particularly when
efforts to obtain information directly from the parties in question were
unsuccessful. In such cases, the sources of information are indicated.
Al-Urdun Al-Jadid (New Jordan) Research Center has followed
a systematic approach in introducing the parliamentarians at two levels:
personal information is furnished on the basis of the members’
curricula vitae, while more general information is provided through an
introduction of the Houses of Parliament as a whole, and of the Upper
and Lower Houses (and their working mechanisms) separately. An effort is
then made to place the current Parliament within an historical context
by outlining the development of legislative life in Jordan. The book
concludes with a series of annex tables, as outlined above.
This Who’s Who, issued in
both Arabic and English, is the second of its kind published by Al-Urdun
Al-Jadid; the first was produced in 1995 and was also made available in
both languages. We are pleased to be able to continue this tradition,
and hope that the second edition will fulfill the needs of interested
readers in a multitude of sectors both within and outside Jordan.
Comments and suggestions from readers regarding the content or form of
the book are welcome.
Al-Urdun Al-Jadid would like to extend its thanks to the
parliamentarians for their cooperation in making the publication of this
book possible. The Center would also like to express its profound
gratitude to the Friedrich Ebert Foundation for its contribution and
support in publishing this book, and to translators Lola Keilani and
Lana Habash and editor Terri Lore for their hard work.
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