By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
For Jordan's King Abdullah II, preventing the Arab world's wave of uprisings from washing into his country has been an exercise in careful calibration — easing his absolute grip on power just enough to defuse protests.
One of the longest-running protests in this season of Arab unrest is marked by peaceful demonstrations for constitutional reform - not the overthrow of a powerful leader.
Inspired by the rise of Islamists and the Brotherhood in Egypt and Tunisia after the ouster of those countries' longtime leaders, Jordan's branch of the Brotherhood "sees the time is opportune to stage a quick comeback to the limelight in Jordanian politics," said political analyst Labib Kamhawi.
"The Brotherhood is in the saddle and in the race for power," he said. "They are trying to force the hands of the regime to give enough concessions for them to become the government of the day."
