Brookings53%

Why Jordan remains a critical US partner 74%

By Bruce Riedel98%

7/23/2026, 3:31:21 AM

BS Summary: This article contains 22 faulty reasoning types, including Post Hoc (False Cause), Recency Bias, and Biased Writer Voice, with Appeal to Authority as the most egregious example at 9.7% saturation with 63 hits. Analysis detected 655 faulty-reasoning hits from 650 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 59.4% and a BS Rank of 74% (7,206 of 27,733 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 74.00% of the article peer group.

The loss of several American servicemen in Jordan this week underscores the centrality of the Hashemite Kingdom to U.S. policy in the region. 
Jordan and America have been close partners for over 70 years, first under King Hussein and now under his son King Abdullah II. 
The United States was a key player in securing the Israel-Jordan peace treaty in 1994. 
Relations are particularly close in the intelligence sector, and the king often sends messages to Washington via that channel. 
American access to several Jordanian bases provides space for launching military operations in Iran and Iraq that is somewhat less vulnerable than bases in Gulf states like Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the others that are all closer to Iran. 
Jordan has excellent relations and close intelligence and security ties with most of the Gulf states. 
Some provide financial assistance to Jordan and all host large communities of Jordanian guest workers. 
Queen Rania grew up in Kuwait, for example. 
Jordan also provides a buffer between Israel and the Persian Gulf states and acts as an important layer of regional air defense against drones and missiles fired at Israel. 
With American support, Jordan has shot down dozens of drones fired at Israel. 
Israel and Jordan have been intelligence and security partners for years. 
King Hussein negotiated the peace treaty with Israel through the Israeli secret intelligence service, the Mossad, not the Foreign Ministry. 
Cooperation is particularly close on terrorist threats. 
The U.S.-Jordanian relationship has had bumpy years, especially after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, but it always survived these rough patches. 
The Jordanians are passionate supporters of the Palestinian cause; Rania is from a Palestinian family with deep roots in the West Bank and is especially outspoken about the fate of the Palestinian people. 
The peace treaty established a special role for the monarchy in the holy sites in Jerusalem. 
This role is very important to the king. 
The United States has provided almost $34 billion in aid to the country over the last 75 years. 
The financial aid is critical to the country’s economy, and the military assistance is vital for the Jordanian military, especially the air force. 
The air force is equipped with American aircraft, and most of its pilots have been trained in the United States. 
The United States and Jordan have been partners in counterterrorism and peacemaking for decades, as I have written about in my book “Jordan and America: An Enduring Friendship.” 
The relationship has thrived in the last decade or more, and the king is a frequent visitor to America. 
He is a strong advocate of the relationship and works hard to ensure it has bipartisan support in Congress. 
He often meets with visiting lawmakers to discuss his views and concerns. 
The war with Iran has only made Jordan more vital to the U.S. military, which has deployed additional troops to Jordan from Bahrain to strengthen the U.S. position. 
It currently has 4,000 service members in the country. 
The U.S. presence is sensitive to some of the Palestinian population due to the close U.S.-Israel relationship. 
The core of King Abdullah II’s support is the Jordanian military, which has trained with the United States for years, and many Jordanian officers have studied in the United States. 
While there are differences between Washington and Amman over issues between Israel and its neighbors, both sides work hard to sustain the dialogue and keep it productive. 
Iran’s attacks on Jordan and America are likely to reinforce their relationship. 
They share common interests on the war, which is creating huge challenges for the Jordanian economy. 
The announcement by the Zaidi Shia Houthi rebels in North Yemen this week that they will blockade Saudi Arabian ports in the Bab el-Mandab region will hamper transit to Jordan’s only port at Aqaba, further destabilizing the country. 
It will also impact Israel’s port at Eilat. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 4.3%Bruce Riedel: 4.3%Brookings: 3.6%Confirmation Bias4.3%This article: 2.8%Bruce Riedel: 1.8%Brookings: 0.6%Anchoring Bias2.8%This article: 2.0%Bruce Riedel: 1.8%Brookings: 2.2%Availability Heuristic2.0%This article: 4.5%Bruce Riedel: 3.2%Brookings: 0.7%Representativeness Heuristic4.5%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.6%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 2.6%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 1.9%Brookings: 4.3%Framing Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.3%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 5.2%Bruce Riedel: 3.5%Brookings: 0.5%Status Quo Bias5.2%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 1.2%Brookings: 0.1%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 7.1%Bruce Riedel: 6.5%Brookings: 2.8%Optimism Bias7.1%This article: 1.8%Bruce Riedel: 0.6%Brookings: 1.7%Pessimism Bias1.8%This article: 3.5%Bruce Riedel: 3.1%Brookings: 4.6%Negativity Bias3.5%This article: 2.9%Bruce Riedel: 1.0%Brookings: 0.6%Self-Serving Bias2.9%This article: 2.6%Bruce Riedel: 0.9%Brookings: 0.6%Fundamental Attribution Error2.6%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 5.1%Bruce Riedel: 6.9%Brookings: 0.6%In-Group Bias5.1%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.4%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 2.9%Bruce Riedel: 6.4%Brookings: 1.1%Halo Effect2.9%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.0%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 7.8%Bruce Riedel: 5.2%Brookings: 1.0%Recency Bias7.8%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.2%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Straw Man0.0%This article: 9.7%Bruce Riedel: 6.1%Brookings: 3.1%Appeal to Authority9.7%This article: 6.2%Bruce Riedel: 4.1%Brookings: 1.6%False Dilemma6.2%This article: 5.8%Bruce Riedel: 1.9%Brookings: 1.2%Slippery Slope5.8%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 2.0%Bruce Riedel: 3.0%Brookings: 4.6%Hasty Generalization2.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.2%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 5.1%Bruce Riedel: 2.9%Brookings: 1.7%Appeal to Emotion5.1%This article: 1.2%Bruce Riedel: 0.4%Brookings: 0.6%Begging the Question1.2%This article: 9.7%Bruce Riedel: 4.7%Brookings: 3.4%Post Hoc (False Cause)9.7%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.0%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.2%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.4%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 1.2%Bruce Riedel: 0.8%Brookings: 1.2%Anecdotal1.2%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 1.3%Ambiguity (Equivocation)0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.0%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.0%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.8%Unattributed Quote0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.2%Quote-first Misdirection0.0%This article: 7.2%Bruce Riedel: 5.6%Brookings: 1.8%Biased Writer Voice7.2%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 2.1%Indoctrination0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.9%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.1%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Bruce Riedel: 0.0%Brookings: 0.7%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…0.0%

650 words analyzed.

Speakers

1speaker4.8%attributed speech619writer words
Selected voice

King Abdullah II

61%flagged-word coverage
31 attributed words100% of attributed speech76% writer coverage
0%32.5%65.0%Biased Writer Voice+56.8 ptsWriter: 4.5%King Abdullah II: 61.3%61.3%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.