The Impact of Syrian Refugee on Jordanian National Security

Abstract

The protracted conflict in Syria and the deterioration in the security situation inside has brought about an unprecedented refugee crisis over the past six years, where it is estimated that over 5 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries by 2017. As one of the neighboring host communities for refugees, Jordan has entailed significant costs at the economic, social, political, and security levels. This study aims at assessing the impact of Syrian refugees on Jordan’s security, as well as the potential threats and challenges generated by the escalation of the Syrian crisis on the kingdom. Forced immigrant implications for host communities are diverse. Therefore, it should be taken into consideration the host communities’ economic, social, political, and infrastructure status when addressing those implications. The Syrian refugee crisis has placed financial, social, and institutional strains on Jordan as a host community.  It is in the light of this that Syrian refugees might be considered as a threat to the socio-economic, political stability of the kingdom and most importantly internal and national security.