What Jordan's ambassador wants you to think about while watching Messi

Jordan is among the teams making its first-ever appearance at a World Cup, and for the country’s ambassador to the United States it is a chance to introduce the world to a country often viewed through the lens of regional conflict and security challenges — and to showcase a different side of the Middle East. "You see us through security, we see us through humans," said Dina Kawar, who has represented the Hashemite Kingdom in Washington since 2016, an unusually long spell for a foreign diplomat there. Her team plays its second match tomorrow, in northern California. Given Jordan’s defeat in its first match against Austria, and the fact that it will face Lionel Messi’s Argentina in its third, the team will almost certainly need a victory against Algeria tomorrow to have any chance of advancing to the next round "All eyes are on the Jordanian team because we are new in this," Kawar told POLITICO earlier this month. "Of course, Argentina is important for us. People know Argentina. People will be watching closely to see where we go. A career diplomat who was educated in the United States, Kawar discussed what she wants World Cup watchers to learn about Jordan: the country's growing investment in sports, including women's soccer, and how Amman hopes to use the tournament to showcase Jordan as a destination for tourism and business. Since this will be Jordan's first appearance at a World Cup, what does this achievement mean for the country and for Jordanians around the world? It's a big deal. It's a big deal for us on the national level. I think the whole country is going to stop during the game. It has ignited national pride. For the Jordan Football Federation, they see it as an important step to improve the local sports infrastructure. We hope that it attracts commercial sponsorships and interest in the country in general. For the federation, this is an occasion for the team to step into being a professional team. It means having more money, more sponsorships. The player