Jordan embarked on an ambitious democratization experiment, which by 1993 had
yielded significant advances (see the sections on consensus and competition in Part One below).
Unfortunately, Jordan’s efforts were derailed by its October 1994 peace treaty with Israel -- in
particular by that treaty’s failure to deliver on its anticipated benefits. In 1994-95, the reform
process began to stall, and, in the years that followed, significant backsliding would take place in
key areas, particularly freedom of expression and the press.