NATO has just opened its first-ever liaison office in the Arab world, located in Jordan, marking a significant shift in its strategy towards the Middle East. This new office in Amman highlights NATO’s deepening ties with Jordan and its broader aim to enhance its presence and influence in the region. Despite NATO’s long history of military involvement in the Middle East, including major operations in Libya, Iraq, and Syria, this move signifies a more permanent foothold. The establishment of the liaison office could stir tensions with other regional powers and amplify concerns about Western intervention in Arab affairs.
NATO announced on Thursday that it had opened a permanent presence in the Middle East, with its first liaison office in the Arab world situated in Jordan. The “deep strategic partnership between Jordan and the Alliance” is demonstrated by the “first-ever liaison office in the region, in Amman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” according to a formal NATO announcement.
“Emphasizing the evolving regional and global security landscape, Allies at the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington DC adopted an action plan for a stronger, more strategic and result-oriented approach towards its southern neighborhood,” the group stated.
“The plan clearly demonstrates NATO’s commitment to reinforcing engagement and cooperation with its partners in the Middle East and North Africa, including through the establishment of its first-ever liaison office in the region, in Amman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” it added.
However, NATO has been involved in significant military interventions and efforts to overthrow regimes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria for a considerable amount of time.
For instance, NATO bombarded Libya and established a no-fly zone over it in response to UN resolution 1973, with the eventual goal of toppling Muammar Gaddafi. Following that, NATO nations supported anti-Assad rebels using Turkey as a base of operations in an attempt to overthrow the Damascus regime, an attempt that ultimately failed.
Jordan was also utilized as a base for intelligence operations related to Syria by the US and its Western allies. Jordan has consistently been extremely “friendly” to Western intelligence, but it is still a truth.
The following passage from the NATO statement refers to this long-standing collaboration with Amman: “Building on nearly three decades of deep-rooted bilateral relations, particularly through the Mediterranean Dialogue, the opening of a NATO Liaison Office in Amman is a natural progression of the longstanding relationship between NATO and Jordan, which will only continue to grow.”
Jordan’s official affirmation of Arabic language…
Jordan’s hosting of a permanent NATO post is likely to face opposition from other regional powers, especially the governments of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon.
It will also strengthen the perception held by a large number of Arabs of the Western bloc as a persistent interventionist force in the area, headed by the American hegemon.
Last year, GreatGameIndia reported that, according to Russia, NATO is trying to keep China in check by expanding its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
