VZCZCXRO5327
OO RUEHBC RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #0312 0341415
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 031415Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6838
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 000312 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AID 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2020 
TAGS: EAID KDEM PREL JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: DISCONTENT AMONG YOUTH IN AJLOUN 
 
REF: AMMAN 276 
 
1.) (SBU) On January 27, Pol Chief and Pol Specialist 
traveled to Ajloun, where they met with the mayor and 
participants in a USAID-funded program administered by the 
International Republican Institute (IRI) to promote civic 
participation.  Both meetings yielded insight on current 
youth attitudes towards politics and the local economy.  The 
mayor's comments on electoral reform and decentralization 
were reported in reftel. 
 
Mayor Deeply Concerned About Increased Radicalization 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
2) (C) In a frank and private conversation covering a range 
of topics (septel), Mayor Mamdooh Mustafa Al Zghool raised 
specific concerns about factors that are contributing to the 
radicalization of youth in Ajloun: 
 
      -- a high poverty rate 
 
      -- increasing unemployment, which is currently at about 
18 ) 20 percent 
 
      -- poor delivery of public services 
 
      -- lack of equal opportunity 
 
The last item is of greatest concern to the mayor.  He 
believes that the current system fails to reward youth 
achievement and initiative, which results in a sense of 
frustration and depression.  The mayor also believes that 
Ajloun youth, who distrust national institutions and feel 
they have no role in national or local decision-making 
processes, turn reluctantly to tribal connections to secure 
employment, educational opportunities, and other services. 
 
3.) (C) These factors have combined to produce increased 
&radicalization8 in Ajloun, although the mayor did not 
define the term or attribute radicalization activities to any 
specific organization.  He believes that until the 
macro-level problems are solved, radicalization in Ajloun 
will only continue to increase. 
 
Youth Frustration with the Status Quo 
------------------------------------- 
 
4.) (SBU) PolChief and Pol Specialist also met with a local 
youth committee at an IRI-administered office to promote 
youth civic engagement and public service.  Participants 
confirmed the low opinion that many Ajloun youth hold about 
public officials. 
 
-- One speaker said that local MPs and others in power simply 
will not listen to youth.  While it is hard for them to get 
meetings to discuss new ideas and initiatives, access is 
occasionally granted when leaders learn that the youth are 
associated with a USG-funded capacity-building program. 
"When we mention IRI, it becomes hard for them to ignore us." 
 
-- Another speaker spoke of how MPs' long-standing personal 
rivalries could also derail a proposal.  In one specific 
instance, an MP refused to support a youth proposal for a 
public library because the MP had a feud with one of the 
other supporters.  "Their disagreements stand in the way of 
progress." 
 
Request for youth resources 
--------------------------- 
 
5.) (SBU) Both the mayor and the youth activists requested 
additional resources, particularly a cultural center and 
children's library for Ajloun.  The mayor wants a "safe 
place" for Ajloun youth to gather and express themselves in 
productive ways. 
 
6.) (SBU) When asked if social media is used to build support 
for these initiatives, the youth said that Facebook and 
Twitter were not common tools.  They said that many residents 
of Ajloun do not have personal computers and were unfamiliar 
with Facebook and Twitter.  The young activists themselves 
knew of Facebook, but said they most often communicate with 
their peers using cell phones and SMS messages. 
Beecroft