My Angry e-mail to Borzou Daragahi: The LA Times Staff Writer

Saturday, October 07, 2006

I think all of you who follow political debates have read or heared about the Article written by the American writer Borzou Daragahi from LA Times claiming that the monarchy in Jordan is risking a fate similar to the Iranian Shah. Jammed has already posted the whole article but in case the link is lost here is the LA times link

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-jordan1oct01,1,4432688.story

My assessment of this article is that it is full of mistakes and misguided arguments. I have written an e-mail today to the author and to the LA readers service with criticism over the article.

I know a lot of you will jump to my throat claiming that I am sucking up here. let me very clear about this. I am a patriot Jordanian who loves his country and a supporter of the regime. I have no affiliation whatsoever with the Royal Circle or the governemnt or the GID or any component of that decision-making system in Jordan. In fact I firmly believe that the government and the political elite in Jordan is mostly corrupted and ineffective but I will never be able to stand silent in face of false accusations and insults to my country. This is my position and if you do not like it you can sue me for loving my country which is becoming a charge now.

However, here is my reply to Borzou.

Dear Mr Borzou Daragahi;

I have read in great disappointment your article entitled "Jordan's King Risks Shah's Fate, Critics Warn" and I am very sorry to say this article is a symbol of 3rd class journalism where you jump into dangerous and decisive conclusions based on very little convincing evidence.

I knew that you have spent a few days in Amman for this article, and I have to say that the LA Times have wasted their money since any fresh journalist could have came up with a more convincing story while searching the web and not meeting people and going into places.

To begin with, I am not linked in any terms to the Jordanian official system and I am a blogger who happens to love his country and feel so upset to read insulting stories like the one you have published.

There is no way you can compare King Abdullah's regime with the Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi regime in any political, social, economic and cultural context.

You claim that the King is losing touch with his people and he is alienated. I do not know who told you such nonsense but reality is very much different. I suppose you were in Amman while that article was published and If you have walked in downtown Amman at 1:30 a.m (which is a very safe place by the way) you would have seen the King eating his ramadan night meal (Sohour) in a local simple restaurant with the Queen and their son without heavy artillary security and Humvee that you claim are in the streets of Amman. Well, this is such alienation my dear! The point is that the King is not alienated and he is very well aware of the internal socio-economic problems. The ones who are really alienated are the useless officials and ministers who have been trained and prepared in the west and see Jordan only through the publications of the IMF and the World bank.

You have based your decisive judgement on the opinion of a mid-ranking official in the cabinet, and believe me the King does have mistakes and his biggest mistake is allowing such losers to have high positions in the Cabinet. There is no way to suggest a social or military coup can overthrough the monarchy in Jordan. There is resentment in the street based on the alliance with the USA that is not providing any benefit for the Arabs but there is no force that can make a revolution. The Jordanian army and all security forces are very loyal to the King and the regime as well as the majority of the population. Even if a certain percentage are not supporting the King they know they are in a better position in a monarchy than in any Islamic or military sort of governance.

Another pathetic note in your article is the comparison between SAVAK and the GID in Jordan. Yes the GID are no angels and they do committ violations of human rights as documented by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch but they are no SAVAK. The GID arrests people, especially with Islamists ideologies and detain them without a trial with the occasional bad treatment but throughout the history of Jordan NO one was killed or disappeared in the GID. There have been a few cases for communists in the 60s and a relative of mine was killed under torture but after that there were no killings and this is very different than the SAVAK treatment where thousands of peopel were killed. In the HRW report published last month, a total of 16 cases of arrest and torture was documented in 5 years. I think the SAVAK used to beat that.

You have used three references in your "very well-researched" article, and two of them Ivan Eland and Alexis Debat are both outside Jordan are by no means can be experts or even know what happens inside the country.

Now let us come to the most interesting part in your amusing article. You say the King has lost trust from both the "Bedouin" traditional tribes and the "reformers" from palestinian origins. Both statements are not true.

You claim that "descendants of the tribes that are the monarchy's base criticize the king for failing to abide by tribal customs and losing touch with his supporters". While reading this anyone will imagine Jordanians as people riding camels and criticising the King for not abiding to tribal customes and this is such a folklore way to describe politics. This country does have institutions and those "tribal" people have been educated and are civilized in a way much more advanced than your "orientalist" point of view.

On the other hand you say "Palestinian groups and activists fear that the government in Amman has gotten too close to Washington, has adopted the Bush administration's with-us-or-against-us worldview too thoroughly and is sliding on human rights and democracy." Now what kind of Palestinian groups are you referring to here? There are of course the Islamists and pro-Hamas groups which are truely agaisnt the country's relation with the US and believe me they do not care much about democracy and reform. There is another Palestinian group of more educated and economically active communities which seeks reform and democracy and more liberal legislation of inclusion and citizenship but they are not much rigid about the relations with the USA. I do not know what kind of "group" did you meet in Amman!

One intriguing paragrpah in your article says :" Jordanian government officials say the security forces have become less heavy-handed in their approach. "I am liberal-minded," said Maj. Gen. Mohammed Dahabi, the chief of Jordanian intelligence, who says he was appointed in December with a mandate to clean up the service's reputation as well as confront the growing threat of Islamic militants in neighboring Iraq and the West Bank.
Well, did Mr Dhahabi declare to you the Terms of References of his assignment? I have never seen a head of the intelligent department revealing his mandate to a reporter. If he has done that he must be a liberal minded person!

You claim in your article "Many critics say the monarch has been too busy pursuing a Western agenda instead of forging ahead with a vision for uniting the country, which remains divided between the powerful tribes and the numerous Jordanian nationals of Palestinian descent". Well, there are problems of trust between the two groups but there is no way, under any reasonable political analysis you can claim that the country is divided.

I wish you more honesty and credibility in your coming work and I think you badly need them.

Update: here is the response from Mr Daragahi which I received today:

Dear Mr. Wardam,
Thanks for taking the time to write this note. I appreciate your effort at
critiquing the article. Please know that I will keep in mind the substantive
points you made.
Warm regards,

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(27) comments

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On October, 07, 2006 5:49 AM , Hamzeh N. said:

I think you are being extremely unreasonable Batir.

And I don't take pleasure in saying that.

On October, 07, 2006 9:38 AM , Hashmi hashmi said:

BLAAAAA BLAH BLAH...
did you notice that you again wasted your time in an unprofessional blabber that was so inaccurate it is not even worth discussing.
1.Two points here, you should have waited on his response before you post your worthless rant.
2. the worthless rant was full of personal attacks (that you yourself complain about). how can you tell the man's work a third class journalism effort and awaste of money. that is just unacceptable in an educated discussion forum.
3. if you believe that you are a patriotic Jordanian you should start by using your mind and not surrendering to the current uatocratic masked dictatorship enforced on us over generations of the prophet sons.
wa mish bass hashmi hashmi...
ya bna annabi wa lili mollooki risaltonn

On October, 07, 2006 12:40 PM , Qader said:

your comments same as nasir judeh, govrment spokesmen. who paid u?

On October, 07, 2006 1:32 PM , Batir Wardam
from Jordan said:

As you notice my dear three commentators until now, Mr Daragahi was more reasonable and appreciative of the notes than yourselves. I am really shocked why it is only in Jordan people consider attacking their country an act of courage while defending it is nonsense and unreasonable. Let me say, in defending my country I am crazy and not only "unreasonable" in your definition, whether you like it or not! I have never seen in your three comments any substantial argument to say that I was unreasonable. You say I subjected him to personal attack but he attacked my country first.
Qader, no body paid me to be patriotic. Maybe this is not familiar to you which I can understand but there are people in this country who love Jordan without being paid for.

On October, 07, 2006 5:37 PM , OmAr
from Jordan said:

And he actually responded to this kind of letter!

On October, 07, 2006 6:31 PM , Hashmi hashmi said:

Omar,
if you noticed it was not too much of a response as much as it was a "whatever" note. Mr. Batir goes on a 700-word rant with a media-stunt photo to match, and gets a 25 word thank you note!

Batir,
You admit you personally attacked him and you were not objective (or informed for that matter) , and your excuse was that he attacked your country!! Again ignoring the incoherent stuff you wrote in your email, I just want to make one point again:
You cannot question someone’s patriotism or judge it by his bowing to the king. The king is the sole decision maker in Jordan and he is not a GOD nor a prophet (actually he is inexperienced and mistake prone), even if he has the best of intentions and is working for a better future for Jordan. Your duty as a Jordanian who loves his country is to try to rectify this situation, not to sing and dance along.

On October, 07, 2006 7:09 PM , Rayyan Hadadbeh said:

Batir,

I am confused. I no longer know where you stand on any issue. You call your self a social democrat but your reaction to the LAT article is very right-wing. I can see people liking the king, but your defense of the the human rights situation is schoking and your defense of the escalating violations goes against the facts.

Then your dealing with the Shiite issue also contradicts everything I know that is either social or democrat.

Batir, you are still trying to fidn your way in the world and nothing wrong with this. One question to ask yourself, are you willing to pay the cost of being a liberal? if so, you have to really understand whay it means and live by it. Your reaction to the LAT article and the Ghad atricle (a non-reaction) startled me.

On October, 07, 2006 8:47 PM , Proud Jordanian
from United States said:

Batir,
man, sorry, bas fada7itna. your email is so incoherent and your arguments are so senseless that most people can write a better email while drunk.
ok, what brought 'descendants of tribes' to 'imagine Jordanians as people riding camels'? Also, how do you make assumptions that the Palestinian groups he's talking about are pro-Hamas? See, you criticize the writer for making assumptions supposedly without having any real knowledge. And about the Intelligence Department chief, come on man, what kind of answer is 'I have never seen a head of the intelligent department revealing his mandate to a reporter.' No, you have... you saw it in the CIA where they declare on a daily basis that they're fighting terrorism, you see it in the Mossad on a daily basis that they're fighting groups that threaten Israel's security, you see it on a daily basis with Pakistan when they say they're looking for Bin Laden and looking for a solution with the tribes on the border with Afghanistan.

Again, you accuse an established journalist in one of the most read newspapers in the USA of low-level journalism, yet you don't live up to the standard of information that you set for him. Or does the fact that you're Jordanian make you an expert on the topic? No, I will buy his reporting before I buy any of your ranting and raving.

As for his response to your email. I'm sure that was a generic response he sends to all critics of his article. Don't give yourself too much credit.

In other words man, JALLIS.

On October, 07, 2006 9:03 PM , Proud Jordanian
from United States said:

On October, 07, 2006 11:09 PM , Batir Wardam
from Jordan said:

All my dear respondents, thank you very much for being so "rational" while your country is being insulted. If it takes to take such a negative position to show your "modernism" and "civilized" way of thinking then I am proud of being irrational.
My country is above everything.
Proud Jordanian if you think that I have "fada7et" you then why you did not use your super intelligent mind to write something to defend the country you are proud of its nationality.
After reading such responses I really pity the fate of this country with so much low level of patriotism.
I am going to respond to your notes one by one starting now.

On October, 07, 2006 11:14 PM , Batir Wardam
from Jordan said:

Rayyan Hadadbeh:
I am a social democrat and a patriot too and there is no contradiction. I want Jordan to be the best country in the world. I want it to be free of corruption, with social justice and equal distribution of wealth and democracy to all the people who love Jordan. Those who do not love Jordan and stay here like staying in a hotel with no loyalty at all I do not care for one second about them. You cannot slam Jordan day and nught and then expect to be treated in a good way. You cannot plan to kill people in the name of religion and be free to do than in the name of human right. You cannot call other people infidels and expect to be allowed to cause problems.
I am a liberal but I cannot sell my country to be a liberal. Whan someone attacks my country I will answer back.

On October, 07, 2006 11:21 PM , Batir Wardam
from Jordan said:

Hashmi I am not questioning the loyalty with the King but it makes me really mad to see you all jumping to defend the LA times article. His article is full of lies and mistakes and you consider it as a good example of journalism becuase it attacks the king. I do respect the King and I think the monarchy is a better regime than all other alternatives which you know them all so I am defending my country by defending the King in this case. In all other cases I always write in criticism but no one is allowed to insult my country.

On October, 07, 2006 11:29 PM , Batir Wardam
from Jordan said:

Proud Jordanian; why don't you use of super intelligence to rise to the name you are carrying and write something more coherent. The writer once mentioned Palestinians as against the relations with the USA and them he says they want reform and democracy.
The head of the GID has never mentioned his Terms of Reference in his assignment and it is only assumption again.
What the hell is the definition of an established journalist? he came here, met with a corrupt asshole who has been brought into the cabinet because he is the son of another corrupt person and then talked with an anti-terrorism expert in the Paris and then says the King will suffer a fate like the Shah. If a freshman in a journalism college writes such an article he would be given a bif "F". This is our "inferiority" complex thinking that westerners must be superior to us. I have seen a lot of so-called experts who do not know nothing and go on to write baseless decisive statements about us as if we are guinea pigs. You are always free to buy their rotten products if you have the inferiority complex.
I do not give myself credit for the response of a westerner journalist since I give myself credit when I feel satisfied with defending my country.
You tell me JALLES and I will tell you Stand up to the name you have given to yourself or use another name.

On October, 07, 2006 11:44 PM , Ali said:

"All my dear respondents, thank you very much for being so "rational" while your country is being insulted."

There is a difference between patriotism and opportunism, and you are no patriot and your love for Jordan is just words. Words are cheap Batir. Just because you say you love Jordan, it proves nothing. so stop playing this game because anyone can play it and sound more patriotic.

Give us one sentence where the LAT article insluted Jordan? one sentence where the LAT article insulted a Jordanian citizen?

You are not defending Jordan and you are not defending jordanians. You are defending the government's mistakes.

Second, most of the criticsm was directed at your poor writing and was not in support of the LAT article. So again, you are wrong.

please don't try to play the patriot and pretend that somehow you care more than we do. i think you are purely motivate by an opportunistic self-interest and embaressment at the critique directed at your poor writing.

you are a tough guy Batir. just deal with it and move forward.

And do you know who is Jordan's enemy? those who wrap themselvs in the Jordanian flag but contrinute to the corruption, mismangement, wasta, and stifle free speech and choke civil society. Which is what you did in your defense of the mistakes of the govt.

On October, 08, 2006 12:17 AM , Dabbous said:

OK!!! CALM DOWN EVEYONE!!!

Batir, this is the world of Blogging. It's tough and commentators take no prisoners. So please don't get upset. this is the first time I see you break down like this.

Now lets all agree that we all love jordan but in different ways. We have the liberal camp and we have the traditional camp (Batir, you surprised me) and thet all love Jordan according to their schools of thought and values. Some see the government as inseperable from the poeple and the country, some don't. That is that. But we all agree that we support our troops :) love our country and love its people.

This reminds me of Republicans accussing Democrats of being supporters of terrorism and being blame-America first, and how Democrats accuse Republicans of being facists and anti-liberties.

So let's not play this silly game of who is a patriot and who is not. No one wins with this game.

So people lets take a DEEEEEEP BREATH. Exhaaaaaale.....

Move on to a different fight ;)

On October, 08, 2006 12:33 AM , Batir Wardam
from Jordan said:

Ali and Dabbous thank you for bringing the level of the heat down. I certainly needed it.
Well Ali, I can say you are right in some of your claims. Yes I can be stubborn, even irrational and over-heated and of course that article was not good writing since I was not participating in an essay exam or an IELTS exam. One thing I have to make it clear to you and all of my critics out there: I am no opportunistic and I do not work for my self interest. If I was opportunistic I would be in a very different position now. I am a proud Jordanian middle class citizen who is an employee and my only source of income is my salary. i do not own a land or real estates or stocks and do not even have a social security and pay for all my health and my success on 31st of December is to remain free of debt. If this is opportunism to you then this is a new definition.
I do not support the government. The governance system in Jordan is rotten and corrupt and there is no way to deny this and I always write about this. However I feel the King is genuine in his work for Jordan but he is served by a corrupt circle. Until now I believe the King is honest and genuine and I will continue to support him because I do not want an Islamic state in Jordan, or a one-party ultranational system or to settle the Palestinian cause at the expense of Jordan.
Yes we all love Jordan in our different ways, as long as we do love Jordan I have no problem.
This was not a healthy debate but nevertheless it was useful and an eye-opener for me.
Ali I completely agree with your statement: "And do you know who is Jordan's enemy? those who wrap themselvs in the Jordanian flag but contrinute to the corruption, mismangement, wasta, and stifle free speech and choke civil society". However I did not intend to support the governemnt in any means in my reply and I just wanted to reflect my anger for the attack on a King that I think is honest and must be appreciated as he deserves

On October, 08, 2006 12:36 AM , Proud Jordanian
from United States said:

"met with a corrupt asshole who has been brought into the cabinet because he is the son of another corrupt person." So is what you concluded from the words 'mid-level cabinet member'. Again, you're talking out of your backside and making wild assumptions about someone just because he made certain remarks. That man may very well be an honest man with an honest father with an honest family, mish 3eib 3aleik? I don't defend him but I'm telling you you don't know anything about this man to insult him like this and draw conclusions that are based on your prejudices.

"What the hell is the definition of an established journalist?" I'll tell you. It is a journalist who is allowed to work for a newspaper that actually has a process when approving what to publish. At the end of the day legitimate news agencies in the US are liable for what they publish and can be sued, which means they have a rigorous process of vetting their sources and stories. That is unlike our wonderful news outlets that allow the publishing of stupid articles that embarrass me as a proud Jordanian.
Yes, I am a proud Jordanian. You are not the standard for Jordanian pride, neither is anyone else as far as I'm concerned. I don't attach my pride in my country to one person, but to the 5 million people in it. Don't ever claim a monopoly over 'patriotism' and love for the country, because you're lying to yourself and your people, making you the enemy. Your rhetoric reminds me of the Bush administration's; the only difference is that despite all the flaws in it, they at least articulate it a little better.

Salam.

On October, 08, 2006 12:46 AM , Dabbous said:

I actually agree with you on the King. I consider him outside the definition of government. But I do fault him for being too hands off, unlike his father allayerhamou who had his hand on the pulse of the nation. But recently, I am sensing more involvement from the King and I hope it's not fleeting.

So yes I like the King but the government has so much to atone for.

On October, 08, 2006 4:26 PM , jordanian said:

"met with a corrupt asshole who has been brought into the cabinet because he is the son of another corrupt person"
batir, let us assume u r right,
my question is who appointed them in the first place?, who holds responsibility for appointing a corrupt prime minister and a corrupt government? who appoints the GID chief?
I would love to see an elected government, would love to see officials facing trials,
u know what annoys me, it is double standards, it is that we have laws that are not enforced or enforced on the weak people, if u steel 10k JDs u go to jail maybe for 3 or 4 years, if u insult the king u r sentenced for 3 years, elbattikhi stole millions and add to that he took benefit of his position which is a much worse crime and he escapes with a 4 year sentence that he spends in a private house, and please dont say the king doesnt know about it....as long as he is the head of all authorities he must know about that.

i have no problems with the king or with the monarchy, even the king himself said once that he wants at some point to see a constitutional monarchy, but what steps did we take in that direction,
a step in that direction will be the way the government is selected, these corrupt circles must be broken.
i believe the king should work as a positive force in that direction.
let us fail 100 times and introduce bad tribal leaders or islamists or corrupt people as prime ministers, but these people can face trials, they will be responsible for what they do. doing that the people will learn the democratic process...

sorry for the long reply..but i hope we agree on some points for the benefit of our beloved country.

On October, 08, 2006 5:15 PM , afaf
from United States said:

well, i was surprised how all reacted to batir's response to the article of so-called journalist... this journalist wrote an article, and batir responded to it...i thought u would all thank batir to what he did...but as the trend i see in usa, arabs just jump to snap eachother's throats...
1. how do u know that this journalist is so established...just cuz he got him self a column to write in, doesnot mean that what he wrote is above all...
2. i guess it takes months if not years to come up with those conclusions or assumptions i would call it...
3. i as jordanian with palestinian root, i would never attack jordan, cuz from my personal experience there i would say this journalist is mistaken and the common ppl know it... and i guess just being patriotic is not a charge...not yet i guess..
4. we have a saying, dunno how u guys will take it, it says "my brother and i, against my cousin, and my cousin and i, against the outsider...". i guess my bedoun's roots is talking here and i am proud of it...
5. i guess u all have some personal hidden agenda and unfinished business with batir in person...dunno how accurate that is, but u guys, showed that clearly in ur response to his letter to the journalist.
when will be the time when we all be engaged in a civilized discussion without killing each others...when??
when would we ever gonna get rid of the comples : "he is western, so he must know it all"...believe me ppl here in usa r so shallow thinkers, and take it from me, one who lived with and around highly educated ppl and mainly Phders...
so what they say or write is not "holy"...and it is not above critisizing...
chill out all and peace...

On October, 08, 2006 7:11 PM , Abdullah
from United States said:

I think I may know who paid that LA journalist to write that article. But I can tell you; it's out of jealousy, and personal hatred. That article was a mix of truth and false. And we all know what is true and what is false. We do not need the Americans to tell us what's going on inn our country. Just hands off Jordan, please. The Islamic movement in Jordan does not have in its strategy to topple the king like what has been done in Iran. Wake up people, Jordan is a small country, and barely meets the definition of a state. So the writer of that article has some hidden agenda he is trying to pass. Smart people read between the lines. Batir tried to do what he can to answer him; he may or may not have hit the target of that article. But he tried.
Personally I think, the article, was to stir many things in the small state of Jordan, one is the balanced relationship between the Islamic movement in Jordan and the King, second the growing resentment towards the corrupted Governments that one come after the other, even the king is trying to rectify that, but corrupted government comes from the people. I have not seen imported Government, all came from the people. So when the people clean their act and produce clean governments then the King does not need to spin his wheels cleaning Governments.
With limited figures and limited resources of people who can be in goverernments to choose from I think the King has his hands tied.
Be honest people so you can have honest government. KAMA ANTUM YOWALA 3ALAYKUM, so if you need to change this (as the King tried, yet he needs some honest sincere people to help) situation start raising your kids the right way to produce honest non corrupted citizens, then blame it on the KING if he brings some one from outside Jordan to rule.
As for the Americans, that’s what they need to middle with our affairs someone stirring things in the USA with the name of democracy in Jordan. I know we don't have the best, but we cannot

On October, 08, 2006 8:46 PM , a7mad
from United States said:

Abdullah,
Do you really think the Americans need an article to meddle with Jordan's affairs? I always thought that all it took was a phone call! Thanks for clearing that up, though.

On October, 08, 2006 9:51 PM , Abdullah
from United States said:

Yes Ahmad, an article started Sudan Darfor issue of interfering with Sudan, and possibly invading it. When a small valued article coincide with the USA interest of the area and its plan for it, that can present itself handy to amplify the issueand make it an excuse for them to invade or interfere. I don't know about a phone call you may know more things that I don't know. I only comment on what I know and analyze from what I read.
By the way I don't know why the rest of my comment above did not
publish, I will assume its a memory issue and will not accuse no one of anything

On October, 08, 2006 10:50 PM , Batir Wardam
from Jordan said:

Abdullah I got another post from you which was identical to the first one, and I did not notice a continuation, so please if you have the post again please resend it with all my apologies for the mistake.

On October, 09, 2006 1:42 AM , Not So Soon said:

"KAMA ANTUM YOWALA 3ALAYKUM,"

In a democracy, that's 100% true. But we do not live in a democray and if you try to change the regime you will be jailed, tortured, expelled, or shot. don't blame the people for the things they cannot do, blame them for the things they can do. and that's not much, if you are not living in a democracy since the poeople cannot arrest the corrupt (we know how high this corruption might go), you cannot make the anti-corruption laws, you cannot enforce the laws, you can just be keep your hear low and say La Hawla Wala Qu'wata ella Bellah. and every once in a while, go blogging to let off steam :)

On October, 09, 2006 9:58 AM , The Observer
from Jordan said:

Batir, I posted a comment yesterday here but it didnt appear!

Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your excellent reply.

I don't know why some people outside Jordan can't leave us alone!

I can't possibly imagine having any better King than what we have. One can be blind to see all the efforts our King put in the past couple of years to push this country ahead.

On October, 24, 2006 7:00 AM , Radi Radi
from Jordan said:

You are a McCarthist, you should look that one up, if anyone doesnt agree with you, or thinks your not a good writer or even dares to say that you are wrong.

Our country is not insulted by the article, what did you benefit in the last 5 years, compare it to what you would have had if the status quo had remained.

You are just being "patriotic" because you are afraid that anything else might prove someone else right, and god help us if that person is an American.

I hate bush, but I also hate being yelled at by an American soldier in Amman and not being able to do anything because they give us half our budget and hence can use our airports the way they see fit, this is not right.

Try that first.

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