Recently, we announced that we were looking to close our base in Jordan and move it to the Philippines.  It is not a decision we really wanted to make, but all indications from the street indicate that the time of expats being able to enjoy life in a near weather ideal Amman is rapidly drawing to close.  Murmurs of embassies holding meetings and training sessions on how to get out of Jordan in case of societal collapse, constant police and Ministry of Labor round-ups of “illegals” (whether illegal or not in some cases), a populace that has become less and less welcoming and trust worthy, and rising random street violence are all adding to the feeling of an underlying dread that permeates the air.

Gone are the days when Iraqi’s, flush with money and escaping the Jewish inspired destruction of Baghdad, filled the stores, restaurants, and shops and kept money flowing through the economy.  Gone are the days when NGO’s spent relatively lavishly on employees and projects.  In the case of many Iraqi’s, almost half of the peak populations has either returned to Iraq or emigrated to the West.  Sure, there are many 100’s of thousands, perhaps, remaining, but they are those who are, perhaps, more skewed towards “the working class”, with not enough money to get away to the West and not enough of a solid base in Iraq to return home.

And besides, within the Levant, you can’t beat the pleasant weather and nights of Amman.  They are truly fantastic, reminding me often of my home in the greater Los Angeles area.  While Baghdad might see temperatures of 102 degrees at 11 pm, Amman will often be a refreshing 75 degrees.  In the Middle East, such weather is a draw.

But something underlying has changed.

Jordanians who can get out are leaving the country.  Turkey seems to be a spoken of favored destination. So too are expats. Nearly half of all Iraqi’s are estimated to have left Jordan.  People tell me that things are not so good even for the Americans.

In speaking with an old Iraqi colleague of mine, she relates that being an expat here has become a bit sad and lonely; many of her friends have left the country, and the locals are not necessarily friendly when she is out and about.  So she sits at home after work, not really enjoying when she does get out and about.  When relaying to a colleague in Baghdad that I might close down Jordan, he implored me to find a way to stay.  He, too, has lost so many friends in Jordan and would hate to lose a really good one.

Then there is Trump’s “Deal of the Century”, an event that has the potential to prove cataclysmic.

But hey, what does Israeli agent Kushner and the Trump team really care?  Their “deal”, by all indications, is to normalize Jewish brutality and ethnic cleansing and shift the burden of responsibility to Jordan and Lebanon, two countries that have already paid dearly for Jewish expansionist policies already.  By some indications, EVERYBODY gives up land or demographic replacement; Egypt (land), Jordan  (demographics), Lebanon (demographics), Saudi (land) – all to give Israel more land in the name of a “deal” paid for by the Gulf and American tax payers.

Some deal.

One things is clear.  The ongoing changing political winds is way above this authors pay grade, and if you feel you are not welcome or that your extended family is not welcome, then prudence says to not over stay your welcome.

Apparently, this basic truth has come to hit home as more and more mobile expats remove Jordan as a residence of choice.  Such a reality cannot bode well for a nation that relies on foreign inflows of any all kind.

Besides, with rumors of an attempted coup d’etat recently, Jordan security forces have more issues to deal with than the safety of their expat communities.  Perhaps it is best to get all that you can get out now…

ITEL Radio Full Show – 6.1.19