The new King of Jordan, Abdullah, has the awesome responsibility of
filling King Hussein's shoes.
Abdullah, 37, certainly resembles his father
physically and is reputed to be of a similar
character. But he is wholly untested in the
diplomatic and political minefield through
which his father guided the kingdom for the
last five decades.
Abdullah was only named King Hussein's heir
in January 1999. He replaced his uncle, Prince Hassan, as crown
prince, after Hassan was deposed over a disagreement about the
succession.
It now seems clear the king wanted to use his
last days to ensure the accession of his own
bloodline rather than his brothers.
Abdullah has pursued a successful military
career rising to the rank of major-general and
commanding the elite special forces unit responsible for maintaining
internal security and protecting the royal family.
English heritage
His mother is King Hussein's second wife, an Englishwomen (formerly
Toni Gardiner) who adopted the name Muna al-Hussein when she
converted to Islam to marry the king.
Abdullah's English heritage has
been a cause for unease among
many Jordanians. His command of
classical Arabic is less than perfect
while his English is fluent.
Some Jordanians fear an increase
of western influence at a time when
US and UK policies towards Iraq
and Israel are deeply unpopular.
Like his father, Abdullah received
much of his education in the UK,
graduating from the military
academy at Sandhurst and
completing a course in
international relations at Oxford.
Popular appeal
If some parts of his background appear alien to his subjects, his
prominent military role has won him their loyalty. This is especially
true among East Bank Jordanians, those of indigenous tribal origin,
who make up the backbone of the Jordanian military and the political
classes.
He can also point to his wife, Princess Rania, who hails from a
wealthy family of Palestinian origins, to reassure the majority of
Jordanians, who originate from Palestine, of his sympathy towards
their concerns.
Political concerns
It has been said that Jordan's new king does not have a
highly-developed political viewpoint. His attentions have been
exclusively on military matters so far. That will have to change.
His first task will be to guide the
country through the psychological
convulsion following his father's
death. King Hussein exerted
incredible power and influence
over his subjects.
Jordanians have been mentally
preparing themselves for the king's
death for months. But they believed
their new king would be the
experienced, if uncharismatic,
Hassan, who served as crown prince
for some 35 years.
So far the sudden and humiliating
dismissal of Hassan has not had
repercussions with the stability of
the kingdom, but that might not last.
Inexperience or a new dawn
As crown prince, Prince Hassan was an experienced player on the
world stage and had particular influence on Jordan's relations with
Israel. Hassan speaks Hebrew fluently and has many close friendships
with senior Israelis.
But any Jordanians hoping the new generation
will mean greater distance between Jordan
and Israel will be disappointed. King Hussein
would not have appointed an heir who might
undo what he saw as his greatest legacy,
peace with the Jewish state.
Finally, it is thought that Abdullah has been able to make inroads in
the latent coolness towards Jordan felt in the Arab Gulf states, caused
by Jordan's position of neutrality during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Before his appointment, Abdullah represented Jordan among the
crown princes of the Gulf states and Amman will be hoping that the
new generation can shrug off the burdens of the last.
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