A Cold Peace: Thirty Years in the Making
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Authors
Sack, August
Issue Date
2025-04-03
Type
Language
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Description
My independent study conducted under the supervision of Dr. Sandy Hulme, is an
exploration of the Jordanian-Israeli Treaty of Peace, titled; A Cold Peace: Thirty Years in the
Making. The treaty, signed in 1994, can be seen as one of the key moments in the thawing of
Israeli-Arab relations, and a significant step forward in ending the Israeli-Arab conflict. The
treaty, aimed at fostering cooperation on issues like security, economics, and water sharing, has
faced several hurdles in the form of regional conflicts, genuine mistrust, and a powerful
Jordanian anti-normalization movement.
I have utilized qualitative methods in answering my proposed questions, looking to the historical backdrop of the bilateral relationship from the year 1994 with a cutoff date October 7th, 2024. The main research questions for my study are: to what extent have the treaty's articles been implemented between the two parties? Has their implementation genuinely strengthened the bilateral relationship, or has it remained a cold peace? Through articles from various news agencies–both regional and international–excerpts from leaders, and academic works by historical scholars, I have striven to answer these questions.
Despite the successful materialization and implementation of several key articles and meaningful cooperation between governments, the treaty has failed to foster a friendly relationship. I have found that security is definitively the most unpopular of the treaty aspects and will remain the most problematic due to the political sensitivity of arrests, and prospect for incidents. It will remain to be seen if the economic aspect can muster any investment, but due to present tensions there is little to no benefit for economic entanglement. Water will continue to make or break the treaty, and Jordan will likely only further its cooperation on the matter, as the climate becomes more inhospitable for the region. Thus, it can be concluded that although the treaty has seen much success on a practical scale in several key areas, it has not been sufficient to strengthen or foster a relationship between the Israeli people or Jordanian people and has effectively remained a “cold peace” for the last 30 years