King Abdullah II of Jordan
King Abdullah II has been the reigning monarch of Jordan since February 1999, following the death of his father, King Hussein. Born on January 30, 1962, Abdullah is a member of the Hashemite family, which claims descent from the Prophet Muhammad. He received education primarily in the West, including military training at Sandhurst, and served in the Jordanian military, rising to the rank of major general. Throughout his reign, Abdullah has maintained a pro-Western foreign policy, positioning Jordan as an ally of the United States amidst regional tensions, particularly after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Domestically, Abdullah has faced significant challenges, including demands for political reforms and economic relief against rising discontent among the Jordanian populace. The Arab Spring in 2011 prompted protests against the monarchy, leading Abdullah to initiate a series of reforms aimed at addressing public grievances. Despite efforts to modernize the economy and governance structures, including constitutional amendments, Abdullah's leadership has been tested by ongoing economic issues and the regional threat posed by groups like ISIS. His personal life includes a balance of public engagement and private concerns, with his wife, Queen Rania, being a prominent public figure, though not without controversy surrounding her lifestyle. Overall, King Abdullah II's tenure has been characterized by a blend of modernization efforts and the complexities of regional and internal political dynamics.
King Abdullah II of Jordan
King of Jordan
- Born: January 30, 1962
- Birthplace: Amman, Jordan
King Abdullah II is the reigning king of Jordan. Abdullah became king in 1999, just two weeks after being named crown prince by his father, King Hussein. Previously, Abdullah had trained at Britain's Sandhurst Military Academy in pursuit of a military career with Jordan's Royal Special Forces. Reigning during a time of rising tensions between Muslim fundamentalists and Western elements following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Abdullah has followed a pro-Western policy much like his father's.
Background
Abdullah ibn al-Hussein was born on January 30, 1962, in Amman, Jordan, to King Hussein and Princess Muna al-Hussein. He was named after his grandfather, King Abdullah I, the founding monarch of modern Jordan. Abdullah II is a member of the Hashemite family, which can trace its origins to the Prophet Muhammad. The Hashemite family ruled Mecca from 1201 until 1925, when the Saud family seized power.
Abdullah was educated almost entirely in the West. He attended schools in England and the United States from age four, including Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He later attended the British Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, after which he became a member of the British Army and was stationed in Britain and Germany. He then studied advanced military training in the United States before returning to Jordan for an apparent career in the military. He rose to the rank of major general and commander of the Jordanian Special Operations Command, which has the specific responsibility of guarding the monarch
King of Jordan
On February 7, 1999, King Abdullah II succeeded his long-reigning father, King Hussein, who had ruled since 1953. The transition was somewhat abrupt, as Abdullah had been named crown prince just two weeks earlier, on January 24, 1999; until then, the designated crown prince had been King Hussein's younger brother, Hassan.
The first decade of Abdullah's rule was marked by rising tensions in the Arab world between Islamist fundamentalists and the United States. Abdullah has followed in the footsteps of his late father by maintaining a pro-Western reign, and the United States has regarded both as trustworthy allies. In 1970 and 1971, the late King Hussein had evicted the Palestine Liberation Organization; while this was a tactical move in the civil war known as Black September, which was fought between displaced Palestinians and the Jordanian military and royal family, it nonetheless endeared Hussein to Israel and the West. He then entered into diplomatic relations with Israel in 1994 and ceded the former Jordanian territory of the West Bank to an anticipated Palestinian state. Modern Jordan's constituencies are divided between "East Bankers" and Palestinians. East Bankers have tribal ancestry and dominate the government, especially the security forces, while the Palestinians constitute a majority of Jordan's population and dominate the private economy.
When Abdullah assumed the monarchy, he moved quickly to institute a series of economic reforms. He eliminated government subsidies for fuel and agriculture, joined the World Trade Organization in 2000, and signed trade agreements with the European Union and the United States in 2001. The latter, a bilateral free-trade agreement, phased out tariff reductions on virtually all products over a decade and was the first between any Arab country and the United States.
In 2003, Jordan's positive relationship with the West was strained by the US-led invasion of Iraq, shortly after which Abdullah declared, "We are one with our people who reject and condemn the invasion." In an interview after the invasion, Abdullah added, "Frankly speaking, we were asked to open our airspace to military aircraft, but we steadfastly refused. Jordan is not and will never be a launchpad for strikes on brethren in Iraq."
The Arab Spring
In early 2011, the Arab Spring spread to Jordan, with demonstrations led by the Islamic Action Front and bolstered by numbers of younger Jordanians, leftists, and trade unions. The Islamic Action Front is the Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a conservative Islamist organization that advocates for nonsecular government. These demonstrations seemed to echo the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, both of which resulted in the overthrow of long-term heads of state.
In a demonstration on January 28, 2011, Jordanian opposition protested economic hardship and demanded the right to elect the prime minister, who has traditionally been appointed. The protestors went on to demand changes to the sweeping powers of the Jordanian monarchy. According to Jordan's 1952 constitution, executive authority lies with the king and the cabinet. The king is empowered to veto laws, appoint or dismiss judges, and dismiss the cabinet, and he is also commander of the armed forces. Since assuming the monarchy in 1999, Abdullah has dismissed the cabinet several times, and a week after the January 28 demonstration, he fired his prime minister and cabinet in an attempt to appease the protesters.
Although the dismissal appeared to calm the unrest temporarily, demonstrators soon erected a tent city in the capital of Amman, similar to one that had appeared in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Clashes broke out between government supporters and protesters, injuring dozens and causing the military to intervene. In late March 2011, Abdullah established a National Dialogue Committee to suggest reforms and possible amendments to the Jordanian constitution in an effort to quell future violence. Later that year, in October, he approved several constitutional amendments intended to further placate protestors, including ones establishing a constitutional court and an independent election commission.
After the Uprisings
In May 2011, Saudi Arabia invited Jordan to join the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), an alliance of six conservative Arab monarchies: Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar. Since the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa began, the GCC member countries have been shifting their strategic and political alliances to hedge against internal unrest and to protect Iran. Dominated by Riyadh, the GCC uses Saudi Arabian influence and financial aid to support other monarchies and suppress revolt. Saudi Arabia has also sent troops to quell antigovernment demonstrations in Bahrain, a member of the Council.
Also in May 2011, King Abdullah met with US president Barack Obama to criticize Dennis Ross, Obama's top adviser on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These remarks were overshadowed two days later, when Obama and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu butted heads over whether the blueprint for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement should be based on Israel's 1967 borders.
In August 2014, in the midst of continuing unrest in Iraq and Syria and the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as a major threat in the region, the Jordanian government requested that the parliament approve two constitutional amendments to increase executive authority, including one that would give the king sole power and discretion to appoint the head of the armed forces and the director of the General Intelligence Department. The government claimed that the amendments were a necessary prelude to future political democratic reforms. The same year, ISIS threatened to assassinate Abdullah. Jordan soon joined multiple other countries in a military intervention against ISIS. After ISIS posted a video online of the violent death of a captured Jordanian pilot in 2015, Abdullah ratified the death sentences of previously captured Iraqi terrorists and launched a series of airstrikes against the group.
Although Jordan had entered a loan program with the International Monetary Fund in 2016, in order to fight unemployed and the high cost of living, Abdullah faced another series of protests by Jordanians over a stagnant economy, high taxes, and rising prices that did not match citizens’ income growth in 2018.
Personal Life
Abdullah is popularly viewed as a somewhat dashing figure; according to his website, he is qualified as a frogman, a pilot, and a free-fall parachutist, and he is also a fan of auto racing and scuba diving. He is reported to have donned disguises to go among ordinary Jordanian citizens and learn their concerns. His Palestinian wife, Queen Rania, has generated criticism in Jordan for flaunting her affluent lifestyle.
Bibliography
Al Sharif, Osama. "Jordan's King Pushes to Expand Military, Intelligence Authority." Al-Monitor. Al-Monitor, 25 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
George, Alan. Jordan: Living in the Crossfire. New York: Room 400, 2005. Print.
Ghafour, Hamida. "Survivor Jordan: How King Abdullah Has Kept His Crown amid the Arab Uprisings." Toronto Star. Toronto Star, 10 June 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"Jordanian King Slams 'Invasion' of Iraq." Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media, 3 Apr. 2003. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
Ryan, Curtis R. "'Jordan First': Jordan's Inter-Arab Relations and Foreign Policy under King Abdullah II." Arab Studies Quarterly 26.3 (2004): 43–62. Print.