Jordan risks unrest with subsidy cuts

Keep an eye on Jordan next week where King Abdullah is set to announce further subsidy cuts to water and electricity to ease the country’s economic crisis.

The last time he was forced to cut subsidies was in November, prompting widespread protests across the country. It is likely similar unrest will follow if he now announces cuts on water and electricity subsidies. For the region’s monarchies, this is particularly unsettling. So far they’ve managed to avoid much of the turbulence that swept away regimes in North Africa.

If unrest against Abdullah intensifies, don’t expect the Gulf’s monarchs to be shielded from popular protest for much longer.