Empire matters for post-imperial sovereignty and variations in imperial impact make for variations in post-colonial states. Indeed, the initial differential impacts of imperial experiences have put Middle East states on divergent pathways that have endured decades after independence. This chapter compares the cases of Syria and Jordan, showing how the era of Western empires set them on enduring differential tangents that resulted in quite divergent regimes and contrary foreign policy orientations that persist to this day.

Empire matters for post-imperial sovereignty and variations in imperial impact make for variations in post-colonial states. Indeed, the initial differential impacts of imperial experiences have put Middle East states on divergent pathways that have endured decades after independence. This chapter compares the cases of Syria and Jordan, showing how the era of Western empires set them on enduring differential tangents that resulted in quite divergent regimes and contrary foreign policy orientations that persist to this day.