Some remarkable demographics statistics in Jordan and Lebanon are illuminated in this fascinating article today.
Following in the tradition of all Hashemite kings, King Abdulla of Jordan systematically persecuted the Palestinians in Jordan from 2004 to 2008. Perceiving the Palestinians as a violent majority, king Abdulla purged the Jordanian armed forces of Palestinians, revoked citizenship of "several thousand," and threatened to revoke citizenship of 350,000. But the "Palestinian problem" in Jordan is no longer relevant because of the massive migrations coming out of the Iraqi and Syrian civil wars. (Side note: George W Bush caused the Iraqi migration and Barack Hussein Obama caused the Syrian migration.)
The majority of Jordan's population growth in 2003 - 2004 came from Iraqis fleeing the US invasion (1.6 million refugees). The near-doubling of Jordan's population since then are Syrians migrating to Jordan to flee the Syrian civil war. The point of the article is that our perception of demographics is completely different from the current reality. Jordan has suddenly become another Sunni majority Arab state.
Lebanon is just as bad -- migrating Syrians already comprise over 25% of Lebanon's population. Again, the majority of these former-Syrians in Lebanon are Sunni and they are fighting Shia Hezbollah all across Lebanon.
Looking forward a few months to the spring of 2016, what could possibly go wrong?
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