Who can govern Jordan today?

(MENAFN- Jordan Times) Making the best of available options, Jordan's decision makers have the tough task of coming up with a government capable of consolidating and sustaining Jordan's stability and sovereignty. But what sort of government can perform this demanding mission? Scholars, practitioners, the people on the street, all feel the need to introduce different descriptions of the kind of government that suits the current situations and names for the next prime minister. Some argue the need for a security government led by a former or current general. Others believe that the next government should be formed by a moderate Islamist who can bridge the gap between the state and the Muslim Brotherhood. To surmount the multi-faceted challenges, an exclusive security government is not the solution. The escalation of violence in the region warrants the implementation of further security measures, yet that should not be the sole criterion for choosing the next prime minister. What Jordan urgently needs today is simply a national security council with in-depth strategic vision capable of monitoring and absorbing the regional developments with their local implications. Opting for an Islamist PM would be a grave, if not threatening the national interests, mistake, simply out of a premature recognition of the outcome of the Arab Spring in some countries where Islamists and democracy, with all its components, including most cherished liberties, have yet to reconcile. The ongoing threat by the Islamists to boycott the parliamentary elections should not be placated by succumbing to it and presenting them the next premiership. If their claim that they represent the majority in the country is well founded, they should wholeheartedly participate in the forthcoming elections under an electoral law that is applied in a number of well-established democracies. Undemocratic paths to lure the Islamists at the expense of other old and emerging domestic political actors will only contribute to destabilising the country through a catastrophic popular confrontation all over the Kingdom. To best respond to the regional developments, the next government should be foremost capable to successfully deploy all available diplomatic tools. A government that can secure effective open channels with all the actors involved in securing a political settlement in Syria, starting with the Syrians themselves and simultaneously reaching out to Russia, China, Turkey, US and the EU, relevant Gulf states, without overlooking Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and the remaining BRIC states. Despite the expected short life span of a government whose main mandate is to oversee parliamentary elections, given that the region is witnessing a transitional stage, its mission is quite decisive in shaping the destiny of the Kingdom. There is need to compensate for the grave damages inflicted due to unskilled diplomacy and to avoid bad judgement that could lead to damages beyond reparation. It is absolutely necessary to enhance security and diplomacy to respond to the current challenges facing Jordan. The writer, political analyst and expert in intercultural studies, is lecturer at the University of Jordan. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.