Since the eruption of COVID-19, the world is going through a period of instability. The recent ongoing Russian-Ukraine war is rendering the required resilience to counter this pandemic more difficult due to its negative impact on global economy and security.
The impact of this global pandemic-crisis can be detected in connection to domestic issues in each country given the spread of COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increasing reliance on the role of the state and the need for government and security institutions to assume the role of the regulator and the stabiliser.
The aftershocks of such global crises would have its heavy impact on economies. While the state’s role seems to be more evident, the private sector will face huge pressures and difficulties, especially the small and medium businesses. Hence the role of the state is important in the coming months to guarantee that these challenges do not turn into risks.
The long-term implications of this crisis are evolving into a multilateral challenges for the state to preserve security and stability and in parallel enhancing local production capability to prevent societal and economic collapse through ensuring food security and self-sufficiency. This endeavour must be exerted hand in hand with the growth of basic and political liberty including the right to freedom of expression and political opposition. States might not be able to face the economic difficulties so easily unless these states allow a form of political opening to reduce the social pressure that societies are experiencing due to inflation, tax increase, inter alia. In order for the state to have its approach rewarding and effective, a clear introduction of the critical roles of both the leaders and of each and every citizen must be declared and communicated. Thus every member of the state will identify and understand the forthcoming difficulties, the sacrifices that must be made in order to contain the economic challenges and achieve eventually the aspired economic and societal growth.
The current main challenge facing all countries, including Jordan, is to guarantee the socioeconomic stability. This requires a change of the model of governance for the state to become more productive, capable to respond to the challenges and can recognise and understand the new relation between the state and the citizen. A development which warrants greater transparency, accountability, efficiency of the bureaucratic system and above all the end of both the concept of oligarchy in its ties to governance and corruption.
Within this concept of change, it is important to achieve another target relevant to the culture of consumption of the recent years. As a society, Jordan needs to adopt a new approach that moves from consumption towards production.
Further, the most prominent challenge is to redefine the role of the state by reshaping critical sectors, e.g. health, manufacture, agriculture, education, trade and foreign policy based on current developments and the needs of the future.
Thinking locally might be the global slogan of the coming period. Therefore, it is important to develop plans where the state leads a national process addressing the realities of economy of food security, national production and advanced agricultural systems.
Jordan is facing multi-dimensional challenges that might magnify in the coming phase. The negative economic repercussions of current global crises detected across the Jordanian economy might well trigger popular anger. This popular anger might well produce a fertile ground of demonstrations and social protests which will inevitably be deployed by criminal and terrorist elements.
The delicate current situation necessitates a serious revision of the domestic policies and of the role of the state.
Dr. Amer Al Sabaileh
