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The nation-state system has been widely criticized in the field of political geography for its generalizations and inaccuracy. It has already been established by various authors that state borders rarely reflect the territory of nations within them. This tendency has been blamed by many for unrest in areas like the Middle East, but while most Middle Eastern countries encounter this issue, some remain stable. Jordan is largely lauded for its stability by citizens and outsiders alike, but what does it mean to be Jordanian in a country with more refugees than original Jordanians? Jordan faces a number of challenges internally as a result of its current demography and lack of natural resources. Adding to these difficulties is the fact that Jordan is surrounded by the Islamic State, civil war, unrest in Egypt, and the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Despite all of these factors, Jordan—unlike many of its neighbors— has remained fairly stable. I believe part of this tendency is due to Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy’s response to dealing with and incorporating huge refugee populations, primarily from Palestine, but most recently from Iraq and Syria as well. In this thesis, I will detail many of the challenges that Jordan and its Hashemite rulers have faced in trying to unite the people within their borders. |
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