David Linfield is no longer with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
David Linfield was a visiting scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where he specializes in how socioeconomic inequality is reshaping political alliances and driving new pressure for change. He is an international affairs fellow sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations.
Linfield is on sabbatical from the U.S. Department of State, where he is a career Foreign Service Officer. He has over 20 years of experience living and working in the Middle East. David most recently served as U.S. Embassy Amman’s lead analyst on Jordanian domestic politics. He has also worked at the U.S. embassies in Mali and Egypt, where he oversaw U.S. Embassy Cairo’s social media communications during the Arab Spring.
David joined the U.S. Department of State in 2010 after completing a Fulbright fellowship in Jordan. Born in Saudi Arabia, David also spent part of his childhood living in Yemen and Jordan.
Long praised for its stability, Jordan has been troubled by protests, detentions, and international criticism. To protect its rulers’ legitimacy and ease citizens’ frustrations, Amman should consider substantive political reforms.
Since the 2016 introduction of a proportional open-list voting system to Jordan’s parliamentary elections, the Jordanian government has faced ongoing demands for reform. But the system is unconducive to democratic reform, given Jordan’s broader socio-political environment.
By pushing economic liberalization in the Middle East without requiring transparency and fighting corruption, international donors have allowed the region’s elites to hog power and resources. The result is a combustible mix of anger and disillusionment.
