Jordanian Exploitation: US-Link, Media Silence
The New Arab's reporting on migrant workers in Jordan's Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs) is indeed grim: low pay, denied rights, harassment. What’s consistently overlooked by most outlets is that these QIZs were established under a 1996 US Congress initiative, mandating that products from these zones could enter the US market duty-free, provided they contained Israeli content. This wasn't merely
about 'free trade'; it was a strategic diplomatic tool to normalize ties between Jordan and Israel, directly incentivizing these specific supply chains. One might wonder if the conditions in industries explicitly designed to benefit a geopolitical agenda receive the same scrutiny as, say, sweatshops not linked to US-Israel policy. These are not just 'Jordanian' factories; they are a direct
byproduct of US-led economic policy in the region. The US government and its allies benefit from—or at least directly enable—a system where migrant laborers at the bottom bear the cost of 'peace' and 'economic cooperation.' When mainstream media reports on the exploitation without this crucial context, they effectively de-link the problem from its systemic enablers. How many 'exploited' laborers
are politically convenient collateral for foreign policy objectives?