‘Privatising’ the peace process
“Politically speaking, it is an excellent tool devised by the United States to privatise the peace process.”
Montaser Oklah, Jordanian Ministry of Industry and Trade
On an industrial park in the middle of Jordan, rows of factory workers stitch jeans for the American market.
On a good day they can turn out thousands of pairs and put in a shipment to New York and the mid-west.
For the owners of this factory, the economics make good sense but this is really a political project designed to change the Middle East.
More than a decade ago, Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty. But it is cold peace – there is little trade or travel between the two countries.
Among ordinary Jordanians, the treaty is deeply unpopular.
Hence this scheme designed to encourage interaction between the two countries.
The jeans being made in Jordan are allowed into the United States without duty or quota restrictions.
To secure that valuable concession, they must have 8% Israeli contents.
“That’s a big advantage – one of the main reasons we came here,” explained the director of the company, Ali Imran.
“Ultimately, we are business people, we have to look after our business.”
Businessmen like Mr Imran have helped produce a huge expansion in Jordanian exports to the United States.
bbc.co.uk
Yup, turn the Arab world into a giant “Free Trade Zone”, which is the new term for slave colony. Exporting democracy indeed.