Jordan Worries About Fallout of Syrian Civil War

Islamist militants a major opposition group

Jordan has every reason to worry about the conflict in Syria, its bigger neighbor to the north.

A flood of Syrian refugees and disrupted trade due to the 22-month-old revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad burden a frail economy that has already had to turn to the IMF.

Any emergence of Islamist rule in a post-Assad Syria could embolden Islamists who are the main opposition group in Jordan.

And rising Islamist militancy among Syrian insurgents threatens the security of the Western-backed kingdom next door.