the safest place on earth?

Jordan is a very safe place. I'm not sure it's as safe as Singapore or Tokyo, but it certainly feels safe. It's difficult to explain why exactly. People are genuinely friendly, no one tries to rip you off, the city is clean...

I heard an interesting statistic the other day that may help explain why: 1 in every 4 people in Jordan is on the payroll of the Mukhabarat (Jordanian Intelligence). I heard this statistic from 2 people separately. When I mention it to others they say, "Yes, that sounds about right," or "Yes, they are more concentrated in the University areas. We used to know who they were when we sat in class."

It's astounding. While I'm usually very critical of such unverifiable statistics, I think this one could be true for several reasons.

First, Jordan is indeed very safe. The country borders Iraq but you don't hear of any terrorist activity here. There were hotel bombings four years ago, but that was the only incident and I'm sure they've upped the intelligence since then. I'm sure you think hotel bombings are a big deal, and I agree that they are; but I still believe that for its critical location, small size, and small government budget, Jordan is surprisingly safe. There must be some reason for this safety and good intelligence is a primary candidate.

Second, Jordan is a strong ally of both Israel and the U.S. Jordan receives a lot of aid from the U.S. - between $250m and $500m annually during the past 10 years. Also, Jordan is strategically located with Syria to the North, Iraq to the East, the Gulf to the South, and Palestine and Israel to the West. Thus, it is a key provider of intelligence to both Israel and the U.S. Therefore, these two very powerful countries have an incentive to ensure Jordanian intelligence is strong.

Third, there's a great entrenched source of intelligence. Jordan is full of Egyptian taxi drivers and waiters, and live-in housekeepers from the Philippines and Indonesia. These people earn between $100 - $200 per month and are willing to do a bit of work on the side to supplement their income. They also don't have any strong loyalties to people living in Jordan. From what I hear, these guys and gals are the backbone of the Jordanian Intelligence. I have trouble believing they're all so slick as to outsmart me. But then again, my interactions with them are always so brief with me doing most of the talking, often not to them directly. Makes me think twice about what I say in front of my friend's housekeeper. And I used to think taxi drivers talked me up because they were hoping to get my number! Perhaps I should think again?