What the World's Media said about the new Jordanian government

Foreign Policy

Cabinet shuffles in Jordan are a fairly routine business. Real power (especially over foreign policy) is concentrated in the Royal Court, and no government shuffle will ever touch the core of policy. The King is really his own Foreign Minister. Governments generally go until they start to wear out their welcome, and then shuffle the deck to buy another six to nine months until it's time for the King to designate a new Prime Minister to start over. But government shuffles can serve as important signals of the King's intentions and preferences, with the personality or profile of the new cabinet members or Prime Minister suggesting where he wants policy to go.
Salah al-Din Bashir, confidante of the controversial Bassem Awadallah, is out as Foreign Minister.
Nasir Joudeh, who has held a variety of government positions over the last decade and had been Minister of State for Information, is known for a good relationship with the King. He doesn't have a lot of baggage in inter-Arab politics, but he most definitely does with Hamas (Jordan Watch). The new Interior Minister Nayif al-Qadhi presided over the expulsion of Hamas leaders from Jordan when he held the same position back at the end of the 1990s. Their elevation likely suggests the deep concern about rising Hamas and Islamist power in the Kingdom and in the region. So the signals are mixed: An openness to bridging Arab divides which may not extend to warming with Hamas, and perhaps a recognition of tough domestic times ahead.
The primary focus of the new government will likely be the devastated economy.
the specific changes seem to be intended to meet the new challenges posed by the new right wing Israeli government and by the moves towards Arab and Palestinian reconciliation.

MSNBC

The outgoing government was widely criticized for being unable to control soaring inflation, which doubled to 13 percent, and an across-the-board spike in prices, particularly for food and fuel.
Government officials had initially denied there was any negative impact on the economy from the global financial crisis, angering the public. Jordan relies heavily on U.S. aid to keep its small economy afloat.
The most significant non-economic change was the appointment of Nayef al-Qadi as the new interior minister. He held the same portfolio in the late 1990s when he deported four leaders of the militant Palestinian Hamas which rules the Gaza Strip.

Radio Netherlands

Jordan's Prime Minister Nader Dahabi has announced a cabinet reshuffle in an attempt to combat the country's social and economic problems.
Mr Dahabi is hoping that the reshuffle will reduce attacks on his government by the conservative opposition, who have frequently criticised him for following a 'Western' economic course.

Reuters

Pro-reformist Labour Minister Bassem al-Salem, who has strong business credentials, was appointed finance minister, replacing Hamad Kassasbeh and sending a strong signal to Jordan's donors and the International Monetary Fund of its commitment to free market reforms.
Pro-Western reformist Foreign Minister Salah al-Basheer, who has been a target of criticism by conservatives, was replaced by Nasser Joudeh, a veteran information minister and government spokesman.The new interior minister, Nayef al-Qadi, succeeds Eid al-Fayez, who had antagonised civil rights campaigners and the Islamist opposition by using heavy-handed police tactics to clamp down on dissent during parliamentary elections in 2007.The long-awaited reshuffle became more urgent after the resignation last September of the monarch's closest reform adviser, Basem Awadallah, whose Western-style free market policies had challenged the conservative establishment. The conservatives had accused Awadallah, a confidant of the monarch, of seeking to give the monarchy wider powers by setting up a shadow administration that interfered with the day-to-day functioning of the government. The new 27-member line-up, sworn in by King Abdullah on Monday, includes four women among a total of 10 new ministers in a reshuffled cabinet dominated by tribal figures. Jordan's own majority Palestinian population is under-represented.

AFP

A new ministry of political affairs will be headed by Mussa Maayta, a left-leaning political activist who will be entering government for the first time, the official said.