Jordan’s hard-won lessons for an age of existential risk

“Believe it or not, we are very optimistic about the future,” said Muhannad Shehadeh, Jordan’s deputy prime minister and minister of state for economic affairs.

These may seem blithe words coming from a country bordered by Israel, Syria and Iraq, with Iran a missile launch away. In fact, Jordan is a model of resilience. As the UK and other developed countries face threats from hybrid wars – unconventional attacks, such as disinformation and cyberattacks – and frontier technology, there are lessons to be learned.