Eurasia Security Watch: No. 263

KING ABDULLAH TAKES ANOTHER STAB AT REFORM
A new electoral law in the Kingdom of Jordan has been attacked by opposition and pro-reform activists who view the law as regressive. Major components of the law include an increase in the size of the Jordanian parliament from 120 to 140 seats, and a mandate that 15 seats will go to women. King Abdullah, who has talked passionately about the Arab spring as an opportunity for change, thought that “the electoral law [was] in many respects the final piece in the overall political reform puzzle,” since “the kingdom has already unveiled multiple constitutional amendments, a constitutional court, a new law on political parties, and an independent electoral commission.” The reinvigorated opposition movement, however, “sees this [law] as the old one-person one-vote system, with a handful of additional seats tacked on” and have demanded that more seats be added for parties in order to make it a more genuinely mixed electoral system. King Abdullah. (Foreign Policy June 29, 2012)

EGYPTIAN POWER STRUGGLE INTENSIFIES
A power struggle between the Egyptian military and the newly-elected President Morsi—which began when the powerful military council overseeing the democratic transition dissolved parliament—is beginning to intensify. President Morsi, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, has defied the constitutional court and the military and decreed that the parliament should reconvene. A lawyer for the Muslim Brotherhood went so far as to call the court’s decision “political thuggery in the name of the law.” The military rulers promptly rejected the presidents order but did little on July 10 when the Islamist-dominated parliament met and voted to appeal the court’s decision. In a separate statement, the constitutional court rebuked the President, insisting that the parliament remain closed and said that “If Morsi does not comply with today’s verdict, he will be liable for defying a court order.” This Parliamentary appeal and the negative response from both the military and court creates a chaotic mess of conflicting legal authorities and jurisdiction that makes it unlikely the dispute over the Parliament will be resolved any time soon. (New York Times July 10, 2012)

FREE SYRIAN ARMY REQUESTS INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION
In recent weeks there have been several notable defections from the Syrian regime including Brigadier General Manaf Tlass of the elite Republican Guard and son of a former Syrian defense minister. Also defecting was Nawaf Fares, Syria’s envoy in Iraq and the first senior diplomat to abandon President al-Assad. General Fayez Amro of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) revealed that there are a total of 15 generals who have abandoned the Syrian regime and made the case that foreign intervention is not only necessary but just. General Amro was quoted as saying, “This has become an international humanitarian crisis, and it is clear that what is happening in Syria is the result of the blatant Russian and Iranian interference, supporting the al-Assad regime with ammunition and manpower, not to mention the Hezbollah mercenaries…so what is wrong with international intervention?” He goes on to say that 80% of the population has been displaced internally and that what is going on in Syria is not a civil war; rather it is a war being conducted by the regime’s allies against an unarmed population. The FSA says that it has “more than 40,000 armed soldiers…whilst there are 100,000 more who are waiting for arms to join the ranks of the fighters and who are ready for battle.” (Asharq Al-Awsat July 06, 2012; BBC July 12, 2012)

THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY'S (ONGOING) FINANCIAL CRISIS
Large debts and the failure of donors to deliver aid is forcing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to look to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries for assistance in ending the PA’s financial crisis. The PA plans to send letters and official delegations to several Arab countries, while President Mahmoud Abbas will personally visit Saudi Arabia to discuss the financial crisis. PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo told the official PA radio station that “Abbas is going to visit Saudi Arabia because ‘it has always been supportive to the PA [sic] at all levels.’” Finding a prompt solution to this crisis has become increasingly urgent as the PA, in what has been a recurring problem, is currently unable to pay June salaries to government employees. (Ma’an News July 11, 2012)