Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | An ominous sign

		31 Oct. - 6 Nov. 2002 Issue No. 610 Region	Current issue Previous issue Site map
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An ominous sign
The murder of an American diplomat in Jordan has sent shock waves throughout the region. What will the Bush administration's reaction be? Al-Ahram Weekly's corespondent in Amman reports

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US diplomat, Lawrence Foley (l), was shot dead infront of his home in Amman
The assassination of a US diplomat in the Jordanian capital of Amman last Monday has dealt a severe blow to the kingdom's efforts to stifle anti-US sentiments in the country. The killing has also cast a dark cloud over the kingdom's image as an island of stability for Westerners in a region wracked by instability and violence.
In the hours following the killing, Jordanian police rounded up dozens of Islamists for questioning. However, it still remains unclear exactly who was behind Monday's killing of Lawrence Foley, a senior administrator at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Foley, aged 52, was shot at least eight times as he was leaving home for work. This is the first killing of a Western diplomat in Jordan. There have been no claims of responsibility.
Although local police declined to give any details of the killing, the US State Department has categorically stated that it is not ruling out political terrorism as a motive for the assassination. It also advised US nationals in Jordan and the wider region to exercise caution.
Approximately 3,000 Americans live in Jordan. On 13 October, the US State Department had warned US citizens that Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qa'eda network had plans to kidnap Americans in the country. Since the 1990s, at least six groups have been charged with plotting attacks against US targets in Jordan, including tourists and US military installations.
However, all of these plots have been thwarted by the authorities. Most of them are reported to have been affiliated with Bin Laden's activities in some way, with some involving former fighters who had fought alongside Afghans against Soviet troops during the 1980s.
Similar incidents to the Foley murder have taken place over the past two years. Last year, an Israeli businessman was gunned down in the same neighbourhood as Foley. Two years ago, two Israeli diplomats were wounded by gunshots.
US Ambassador to Jordan, Edward Gnehm, said US investigators were helping Jordanian authorities to hunt for the perpetrators of this crime but it was too early to make any assumptions about who was behind the killing. On Monday, the US Embassy in Amman closed until further notice.
Recently, Jordanian security forces have stepped up their protection of potential US targets in the wake of rising popular anger over US support for Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza. Amman's frustration has been compounded by the fact that Foley worked for USAID with Jordan figuring as the fourth largest recipient of USAID assistance in the world. The kingdom is heavily dependent on the US for political and financial support, and receives an average of $250 million in US aid every year.
Security sources admitted that they were opposed to the idea of extending highly visible protection to Western diplomats, such as gun-mounted vehicles escorting diplomats, but, under the present circumstances, they had no choice. "We would have preferred not to publicise the fact that there are security threats to foreign diplomats in the country, but we have no choice after Monday's assassination," said a senior source.
Speculation is rife over who was behind the killing. Just weeks ago, Americans in Jordan were alerted of possible violence as an Al-Qa'eda suspect was arrested in Belgium.
Some speculate that Saddam's son, Qusai, has a militia in Jordan trained in special operations techniques and might be sending a political message to the regime in case it does not side with Baghdad if US strikes against Iraq take place.
Moreover, there are dozens of, mostly Palestinian, groups in Jordan. Police say that the "most dangerous" among their members are in detention or under close watch. "The assassins could have been from any of these groups in view of their common hostility towards the US and Washington's apparent backing for Israel's military oppression of the Palestinian people," commented a leftist activist.
The Islamic Action Front, Jordan's main Islamist group and political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, denounced the murder saying "killing civilians is unacceptable".
Jordan, with its substantial, and potentially volatile, Palestinian population, has imposed a ban on public demonstrations. However, this move is likely to add to the frustration felt by many in the kingdom who have long been denied the opportunity to vent their anti-Israeli and anti-US sentiments in public.
The assassination has clearly come as a shock to the Jordanian establishment. King Abdullah and prime minister, Abu Ragheb, both called the US ambassador to personally convey their sympathies, pledging to capture and punish the killers. Additionally, several ministers, including foreign minister, Marwan Muasher, and planning minister, Bassam Awadallah, visited the embassy to register their condolences and promise swift action.
The murder has also cast doubts over Jordan's ability to recover from its dramatic slump in tourism, one of the main sources of revenue in this cash-strapped kingdom.
Although this is America's first fatality on Jordanian soil, there is a very real danger that its repercussions might extend beyond the kingdom's borders. Whatever the investigations reveal, Foley's assassination has sent a message to the Bush administration. Whether they take it seriously or not remains to be seen.

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