It was largely spared the turmoil of the so-called Arab Spring protests in 2011, yet was still buffeted by their fallout: Millions of Syrian refugees streamed into the kingdom to flee the civil war tearing their country apart. The instability kept tourists away and made foreign investors wary; routes to Iraq and Syria were closed, in effect isolating Jordan from its export markets; and sluggish growth led to record unemployment. (Youth unemployment is thought to have reached 40%.)

Source: Los Angeles Times June 04, 2018 22:17 UTC