As US president expected to focus on reviving economy, ‘aid-dependent countries like Jordan might feel the pinch’

AMMAN — Economists are split over the impact of the impending Donald Trump presidency on the US support to Jordan, especially since he ran his campaign on calls to limit Washington’s involvement in international affairs.

Economic expert Hussam Ayesh believes that Trump would go as far as pulling the US from the World Trade Organisation in his quest to focus on the internal economic issues of his country.

“I believe there would be radical changes to the world economy now that Trump is in power. This marks the end of the economic openness policy the US has been following for decades,” he told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

Ayesh noted that the real estate mogul has made clear promises to take radical measures that would ensure that the US dominate the world economy again, such as returning US companies from abroad, imposing taxes on imports, particularly from China, Japan and Mexico, and reducing taxes on the rich so they can use the surplus for investment.

“He wants to rebuild the US economy, which will definitely mean cutting expenses and reconsidering its relationships with other countries,” the economist argued.

Although he believes that such changes will not be evident in the quality of US support for Jordan in the near future, the expert said that this would be the case in the future.

He cited an agreement between Jordan and the US, under which the latter will extend $1 billion in assistance over the course of three years.

“The US will surely abide by the agreement, but after that, the grants will go back to their normal amount,” Ayesh said.

On the other hand, economist Zayyan Zawaneh believes that the US president-elect is “full of unpredictability” and that most pledges made during US presidential campaigns tend to remain unfulfilled.

“We also should not forget that the US policy is not only shaped by the president, although he is a key influencer, but there are other major parties that determine the way files are handled,” he noted.

The economist underlined that entities like the CIA and the US state and defence departments acknowledge the importance of Jordan’s role and thus, Washington is unlikely to shift its support to the Kingdom.

“But on the other hand, I think it is time for Jordan to take serious measures to rely on itself instead of designing its plans based on support from the US or Gulf countries,” Zawaneh said.

Meanwhile, economist Isam Qadmani stressed that US-Jordanian ties are strategic and cannot be affected in anyway.

“Trump’s remarks about Jordan were positive, and they showed that he is aware of the role we play in the region, especially in fighting terrorism,” Qadmani told The Jordan Times.

He praised the new president’s stance on fighting radical religious groups.

“I believe the US support to Jordan will change in style but not in substance,” Qadmani said.