Relationship dossier
Jordan
Libya
Relationship assessment
Jordanian support for eastern Libyan forces has strained ties, while a 2014 prisoner exchange demonstrated limited bilateral negotiation.
Jordan toward Libya
-20Jordan supported eastern Libyan forces led by Khalifa Haftar during Libya's conflict, a policy that aligned Jordan with one side of the country's political and military division.
Libya toward Jordan
+5Libyan authorities participated in negotiations connected to the 2014 release of Jordan's ambassador, which followed an agreement concerning the transfer of a Libyan prisoner held in Jordan. The episode combined bilateral negotiation with a serious security crisis.
Overall relationship
-5The relationship has been shaped by Jordan's alignment with eastern Libyan forces and by Libya's prolonged political division. Negotiations around the 2014 ambassador hostage crisis show that bilateral engagement continued, but the known record suggests a relationship marked more by political strain and episodic engagement than by a broad, durable partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Jordan's support for eastern Libyan forces, including Khalifa Haftar, has been a source of strain amid Libya's conflict. A 2014 hostage crisis involving Jordan's ambassador ended in a prisoner exchange, showing some scope for bilateral negotiation but also the insecurity affecting relations. Libya's political division makes the scope and continuity of government-to-government engagement uncertain.
Areas of tension
- Jordan's support for Khalifa Haftar and eastern Libyan forces during Libya's conflict
- The 2014 kidnapping of Jordan's ambassador and the related prisoner-exchange negotiations
Key developments
Jordan's ambassador to Libya was kidnapped and later released following negotiations connected to a prisoner exchange involving a Libyan held in Jordan.
Jordan supported eastern Libyan forces led by Khalifa Haftar during Libya's conflict.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of Jordanian military assistance to Libyan factions and its implementation are unclear.
- The scope and continuity of direct government cooperation amid Libya's political division are uncertain.