[20140828]IN10143_叙利亚和伊拉克伊斯兰国：可能对约旦构成威胁？.pdf

CRS Insights The Islamic State in Syria and Iraq: A Possible Threat to Jordan? Jeremy M. Sharp, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs (jsharpcrs.loc.gov, 7-8687) August 28, 2014 (IN10143) As Congress debates whether to authorize and fund the continued use of U.S. force in Iraq against the Islamic State (IS, previously referred to as ISIS or ISIL), lawmakers may consider if the Islamic State poses a threat not just to Iraq but to neighboring countries such as Jordan, an important U.S. partner. Recent territorial gains by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, combined with its ambition to reestablish a global caliphate, have led to speculation that the terrorist group could possibly target Jordan. Jordan may be an attractive IS target: many Islamist extremists consider King Abdullah II an apostate ruler, and the kingdom has strong ties to the West and maintains relations with Israel under a 1994 peace treaty. (For more on IS in Iraq, also see CRS Report R43612, Iraq Crisis and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman et al.) Nearly a decade ago, during the height of the U.S. military presence in Iraq, the Islamic States predecessor (Al Qaeda in Iraq or AQI) repeatedly plotted against Jordan. On