Dr. Hamad Kasasbeh

The arrest of those responsible for the Hamoud Church crime was an important security success and demonstrated the ability of state institutions to handle the incident and reach those behind it. But the importance of this success does not stop once the incident itself has been brought to an end. What also matters is what we learn from it and how we build on it. Every experience adds to the state’s knowledge, and the key is to turn that experience into clear procedures and working mechanisms that can be referred to and developed over time, helping institutions understand change and respond to it early.

Jordan has long experience in dealing with difficult domestic and regional circumstances and has, through different periods, managed to preserve both stability and social cohesion. The handling of the Karak incident also reflected a clear awareness of the need to avoid generalization. The crime represents those who committed it; it does not represent any religious, social, or intellectual group within Jordanian society. Trust among people is a basic part of national resilience. And this resilience is not only about security; it also has social and economic dimensions. As job opportunities grow, living standards improve, and economic and social participation expands, society becomes more cohesive and better able to face pressure and change. This cohesion also strengthens the state’s ability to deal with external challenges, risks, and the pressures created by the region.

The Royal directives issued after the incident set a clear framework for the next stage, including assessing readiness, reviewing policies for confronting extremist thinking, and dealing with rumors and misleading information. From there, the focus should be on building on what has already been achieved, so that the lessons are not tied to this incident alone but become part of the way institutions work and continue to develop as circumstances change. This is what can be called institutional memory: ensuring that lessons and experience remain embedded within institutions, rather than ending with the event itself, so they can be built upon and developed over time.

Recent developments also underline that protecting national security does not stop at dealing with a threat after it reaches the country. When a direct terrorist threat originates beyond the border, Jordan retains the right to defend its security and its citizens within the applicable legal and official frameworks. The message is clear: anyone planning to target Jordan or its citizens should not assume that being outside the country’s borders provides immunity. Protecting the security of the state and its citizens remains a priority, wherever the source of the threat may be.

Alongside the response to direct threats, calm and regular reviews of what has been implemented and what results have been achieved remain an important part of building institutional readiness. The aim is to strengthen what has worked and update what needs further development. It also means developing implementation tools and working methods so they keep pace with changes in society, communication channels, and patterns of behavior. It is equally important to follow new methods that may influence public awareness or help inaccurate information spread. Lessons are not valuable simply because they are recorded; they matter when they actually help improve the way institutions work.

This becomes even clearer in the digital space. An incident may happen in one place, but news, images, and public reactions can reach thousands of phones within minutes. Inaccurate information or an image taken out of context can multiply the impact of the event. That is why the rapid delivery of accurate information, clear communication, and public trust in official sources have become an important part of national resilience. Alongside this, families, schools, universities, religious institutions, and local communities all have an important role in building awareness and responding early to signs that deserve attention.

This is also where training and simulation become important. This approach is used in a range of international experiences to maintain readiness, improve coordination, and keep working methods up to date. Simulation means exercises that resemble situations that could happen in real life, bringing together, for example, a field incident, a rumor, media pressure, and the need to deliver accurate information quickly. This kind of training helps improve coordination, shows what can be developed further, and adds new experience to the way institutions work.

Building national resilience is not limited to the efforts of government institutions. The private sector, the banking system, major companies, and investment and development funds can also play an important role. This can include supporting productive projects, expanding employment and training opportunities, and financing initiatives that stimulate economic activity in governorates and less advantaged areas. With many national and development priorities, partnership between government institutions and these actors becomes increasingly important—not as a substitute for the role of government institutions, but as support for it and as a contribution to improving living standards and strengthening social and economic stability.

The key is to ensure that the lessons do not end when the incident ends. A state that preserves what it has learned, reviews the results achieved, and develops its tools as society and surrounding conditions change is better able to deal with different challenges. Jordan has experienced institutions and a society that has shown its cohesion. Security success resolves the immediate incident, but turning what we learn from it into experience that remains and continues to develop is what transforms the success of the moment into lasting national resilience.