| المستخلص: |
Jordan should always play a definite regional role that is consistent with its higher interests, national security and pan- Arab security. Since the establishment of the kingdom, the Jordanian governments have been doing so for different reasons and influenced by several factors. The Jordanians had mixed opinions supporting or opposing such decisions. The performance of the governments have varied between serving the community and the state as well as wasting efforts and opportunities, on the one hand, and accepting roles serving foreign factors sometimes unrelated to the higher Jordanian interests agreed upon in the country. Therefore, the issue was almost untouched in the Jordanian milieus. As a result of the shift in the policies of the kingdom in the last five years, along with the accompanying regional changes, it has become necessary to focus the attention on the possible or expected Jordanian regional role in the major issues, on top of which are those of Palestine, Iraq and the War on Terror at the national, regional and international levels. Thus, a seminar was held by the Middle East Studies Center in Amman on 20 June 2009, entitled by Jordan's Regional Role and the Shift Approaches. The seminar discussed the structure of the kingdom; the regional role imposed by the political geography, demography and the Arab, Islamic affiliation; its part in the international policy since the early 20th century; its role in the great shift in the political structure of the whole Arab World; its role in the peace settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict; and its support of the US policy in Iraq since 2003. The seminar also addressed the involvement of Jordan in the combating of 'global terror' in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001, even before Jordan itself was subject to terror attacks by Al-Qaeda in what was called "the Hotels' Bombings". This necessitated deep consideration of the determinants to the Jordanian planning of an efficient regional role which serves the national and pan-Arab interests, maintains its security, and supports its development programmes in dealing with such ongoing issues which have direct influence on the country
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