Jordan’s electric problems

ENAR

Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour's incoming government last week won a vote of confidence in Parliament, securing the approval of 82 out of the Lower House’s 150 deputies. To most observers, the outcome was never in doubt, but, as an ally of the United States, Jordan’s political process must be presented in fairly glowing terms to convince foreign donors that all is well in such a model Arab state. As such, the supposed travails in the new cabinet’s advent were sold to onlookers as an expression of popular will, without the drama of elections elsewhere in the region. Ensour lost little sleep between his designation in March and last week’s confirmation vote. Yet, the process of seeking confidence was this time presented in better terms than other cabinets’ recent efforts. In Jordan’s stunted political culture, there may be little room for overt sarcasm, but one catchy expression has entered the