The Role of the Military Institution as a Major Factor of the Political Stability in Jordan

The study aims to know the essential role played by the military institution in maintaining political stability in Jordan, and is based on a main premise that the military institution has a positive role in political stability in Jordan; at a time when the Middle East and the world are witnessing successive events with political and economic repercussions. The study seeks to identify the nature of those repercussions and threats; and to identify the contribution of the military institution to maintaining economic stability through the process of development and modernization, and to defend the sovereignty of the Jordanian state and political legitimacy; in addition to knowing its role in maintaining internal stability. Accordingly, the historical method and the descriptive analytical method are employed through the assumptions of role theory, and based on the institutional approach and the functional structural approach in political science. The study concluded that the role played by the military institution in Jordan is a reflection of social behaviors in the Jordanian society; and this role was not limited internally; but resonated internationally; and it refuted the premis that the use of excessive force by the armed forces maintains the political stability of the state; especially during the Arab spring wave in 2010; and the study recommends boosting the role of the Ministry of Defense in Jordan; continuing to keep pace with modern security systems in light of traditional and non-traditional threats and risks; and benefiting from the experiences of military retirees, academics, and thinkers in strategic planning processes.