The latest attempt to wean Jordanians off fuel subsidies lasted barely 48 hours. King Abdullah ordered a freeze on a 10 percent rise in petrol prices that was announced just two days before. "Jordan is stuck between several unpalatable choices," argues Sean Yom, a political scientist at Temple. "The government is not going to lay off people when unemployment is the biggest issue on the street right now. And it is not going to cut military spending," he says. That leaves subsidies as the only meaningful — and politically feasible — target.