Executive Summary
The late King Husayn of Jordan, charismatic, compelling, idolized, was regarded, in his mature years, as the West’s best friend in the Arab world. A perspective assessment over the length of his reign, and particularly during the first Gulf War, however, reveals a far more complex figure: courageous, often wise and far-sighted, but preoccupied with lineage, haunted by ambition, and often plagued by poor judgment. During the first Gulf crisis, Husayn’s demonization of his resource-poor country’s traditional financiers, the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia, cost Jordan dearly. It took his death in 1999 and the concerted efforts of his son and heir to rehabilitate Jordan with the oil states. ‘Abdullah moved quickly on ascending the throne to lay aside Hashimite dreams, renew relations with wealthy neighbors, and establish an air-tight strategic relationship with Washington.
