ABDULLAH II OF JORDAN

'Almalik Abdullah II bin al-Hussein al Hashimi (King Abdullah II the Hashemite), King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan' () (born January 30, 1962, in Amman, Jordan), has been the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since February 7, 1999. He is reportedly a 43rd-generation direct descendant of prophet Muhammad^[1].
Abdullah's parents were King Hussein and Princess Muna al-Hussein, born Antoinette (Toni) Avril Gardiner.

Education

As a young man, the king attended the Islamic Educational College in the Jordanian capital for his primary education, later attending St. Edmund's School (Hindhead) in Surrey, England. Abdullah subsequently attended Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the United States for his secondary education. After leaving Deerfield he attended Pembroke College, Oxford, to which he is reported to have donated a sum of money.
He attended the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, where he completed an advanced studies and research program as a mid-career fellow in the Master of Science in Foreign Service program in 1987. He graduated from the Georgetown Leadership Seminar in that same year. His course work was quite similar to that of the formal MSFS degree, although he does not hold one[1].

Military career

In 1980, he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom as a cadet. He joined the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) upon commission as a Second Lieutenant the following year. King Abdullah retains close links with the British Army and is the Colonel-in-Chief of The Light Dragoons, a tank regiment and the successor to the 13th/18th Royal Hussars. King Abdullah holds the ranks of Field Marshal in the Jordan Arab Army and Marshal of the Royal Jordanian Air Force [2].

Marriage and children

Abdullah is married to a Kuwait-born, Jordan-bred Palestinian, Rania Al-Yassin (now Queen Rania al-Abdullah), who is renowned for her philanthropic work. They have four children:

★ Prince Hussein (born June 28, 1994)

★ Princess Iman (born September 27, 1996)

★ Princess Salma (born September 26, 2000)

★ Prince Hashem (born January 30, 2005)

King of Jordan

'King Abdullah II' at the 'World Economic Forum'.

Abdullah became king on February 7, 1999, upon the death of his father King Hussein. Hussein had recently named him Crown Prince on January 24, replacing Hussein's brother Hassan who had served many years in the position. The decision was not universally popular because Abdullah's mother, Antoinette Avril Gardiner (commonly referred to as Toni Avril Gardiner), was English by birth (born in Chelmondiston).^[2] The King's mixed Arab and English ancestry was a matter of contention for many.

Politics as King

King Abdullah is the head of an constitutional monarchy in which the King retains substantial power; Jordan's economy has improved under Abdullah, and he has been credited with increasing foreign investment, attending meetings between public and private sectors, and providing the foundation for Aqaba's free trade zone. As a result of these reforms, Jordan's economic growth has doubled to 6% annually under King Abdullah's rule compared to the latter half of the 1990s.^[3]
His speech at The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in September 2005 was entitled "Traditional Islam: The Path to Peace." While en route to the United States, King Abdullah met with Pope Benedict XVI to build on the relations that Jordan had established with Pope John Paul II, and to discuss ways in which Muslims and Christians can continue to work together for peace, tolerance, and coexistence. King Abdullah has shown more consistency on economic than political change, handpicking liberals and technocrats to implement market-oriented reforms while sticking to mostly center-right prime ministers to ensure that political opening is on a slower track to fit traditional forms of society.
During the eight years of reign, King Abdullah II has been working hard for the Middle East Peace Process, attending the Arab Summit in 2002, OIC conferences and having several summits with US, Israeli and Palestinian delegations to find a just solution for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. In domestic policies, the King on March 2, 2007 announced municipal elections in Jordan and in November 25, 2006 in his parliament address, told the parliament to work on reforms of the press and publication law.^[4]
King Abdullah II is continuing the work of his father, King Hussein, by inspiring peace initiatives aimed at ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and civil unrest elsewhere. He tried to impose a cease-fire when the Israel-Hezbollah war broke out in the summer of 2006. His efforts helped improve the quality of life for Jordan's citizens. Healthcare is now easy to receive even in rural parts of Jordan. The literacy rate continues to grow past 90%, a record in the Arab world. Investment has risen sharply, mostly from France and Kuwait, however, because of the lack of water and the nearby civil conflicts, Jordan's prosperity remains stagnant. Investors say if stability comes to the region, the kingdom will see remarkable growth.
Palestinians are given citizenship easier unlike the numerous Iraqi refugees. Crossing the border into Jordan from Iraq is not much more difficult than it had previously been before the 2005 Amman bombings by Iraqis working with al-Qaeda.
King Abdullah II is the leading mediator of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While keeping strong ties to Israel, the King has invested money into the new Palestinian authority of Mahmoud Abbas, the current President of the PA. He has also helped increase foreign investment in the new Palestinian government.

Achievements

'Political achievements'

★ Like his father, king Abdullah pushed forward a policy of reform. Politicaly, King Abdullah pushed democratic reform significantly, making the country more involved in politics and public issues. He also fought corruption. In a speech before the United States Congress^[5], King Abdullah presented several political reform strategies that helped Jordan become more democratic.^[6]
'Economic achievements'

★ The new economic policies have seen many results in Jordan. In the World Economic Forums that were hosted several times in the Dead Sea resorts^[7], Abdullah showed the Jordanian model as an example of a resource-poor country that was capable of remarkable economic achievements. His policies have attracted business to Jordan. He also negotiated a free trade agreement with the United States, which was the third free trade agreement for the U.S and the first with an arab country ^[8]
'Military achievements'

★ King Abdullah has a strong belief in a powerful military and has led Jordan into adopting a "quality over quantity" policy. This policy have led Jordan to acquire advanced weaponry and enhance the air force by greatly increasing and enhancing its F16 fighter jet fleet. ^[9] The ground forces have also seen significant improvement in the acquisition of the Challenger 1 main battle tank.^[10]

Controversy

King Abdullah is often criticized for ruling with an autocratic style, imposing limitations on basic freedoms of speech, press, and the right to protest. While criticising Islam is merely punishable by short-term imprisonment and/or minimal fines, criticism of King Abdullah, the Hashemite family, or the Jordanian government in general, is severely punished; typically by jail imprisonment under conditions that violate the major principles of U.N's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (as shown from the reports of Human Rights Watch [3]). An infamous illustration of this lies in the story of Jordan's first female Member of Parliament, Toujan al-Faisal.
The Israeli newspaper ''Ha'aretz'' said that Israel's GOC Central Command leader of the Israeli army, Yair Naveh, predicted that King Abdullah would fall and that he would be Jordan's last king.^[11] Afterwards, the Israeli general had to retract his statement, creating tension between the two countries.^[12] In March 2007 Ehud Olmert commented on the fragility of the Hashemite regime in Jordan by saying that, "Israel is worried a hasty American withdrawal from Iraq could have negative impact on the Hashemite regime in Jordan..." Jordan's spokesman Nasser Jawdeh replied by saying, "The Israeli prime minister should worry about his political future before worrying about us."^[13]
''Los Angeles Times'' correspondent Borzou Daragahi, in an article published by his newspaper, cites Jordanian sources and other analysts expecting the same consequence as a result of King Abdullah's alleged corrupt internal policies and abuses.^[14]

Successor

On November 28, 2004, Abdullah removed the title of Crown Prince from his half-brother, Hamzah, (whom he had appointed on February 7, 1999, in accordance with their late father's wishes). In a letter from Abdullah to Hamzah, read on Jordanian state television, he said, "Your holding this symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to undertake." No successor to the title was named, but some analysts believe it probable that Abdullah intends to name his own son, Prince Hussein, to succeed him at some point in the future.^[15]

Nuclear plans for Jordan

On January 20 2007, King Abdullah revealed to Haaretz that Jordan has plans to develop nuclear power strictly for internal energy purposes.^[16] According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jordan is one of the poorest countries in terms of access to drinking water, and thus some have raised questions about King Abdullah's plans for making Jordan a powerful country capable of developing nuclear energy, while most citizens and political powers saw this move as a great move towards a modernized Jordan. .^[17] Conversely, Jordan is one of the few non-petroleum producing nations in the region. The country strategically depended on oil from its neighbor, Iraq. Continuing civil unrest in Iraq puts Jordanian national and energy security at risk. Geological surveys in 1980s by have indicated, however, that Jordan’s most southern department, Ma'an, has untapped sources of fossil fuels.

Democracy in Jordan

BBC international published an article titled "Jordan edging towards democracy", where King Abdullah expressed his intentions of making Jordan a democratic country. According to the article president George W. Bush "urged King Abdullah, a US ally, to take steps towards democracy after being questioned about alleged human rights abuse in Jordan at a Washington news conference".^[18]
jordan in comparison to other arab countries is among the most democratic countries, King Abdullah's reform strategies gained him a great deal of respect and admiration in the international community and more importantly in Jordan. recent elections have seen a great turn out, which is linked to the new democratic reform policies.

Interests

Acting in ''Star Trek: Voyager''

King abdullah has many interests, he is known for his adventurous side and for his love and passion for sky diving, Rally racing and scuba diving.
King Abdullah is an acknowledged fan of the science fiction saga ''Star Trek''. In 1995, while he was still a Prince, he appeared in the '' ''episode "Investigations". ^[19]
King Abdullah is an alumni of Jeff Cooper's Orange Gunsite shooting school, in Paulden, Arizona, U.S.A.

References

1. http://www.kingabdullah.jo/main.php?main_page=0&lang_hmka1=1
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1634962.stm
3. http://www.imf.org/external/np/ms/2006/112806.htm
4. http://www.jordanembassyus.org/11282006005.htm
5. http://www.jordanembassyus.org/hmka03072007.htm
6. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2308
7. http://www2.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/World+Economic+Forum+in+Jordan+2005.html
8. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010928-12.html
9. http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/jordan-buys-20-f16-mlu-from-holland-belgium-updated-02176/
10. http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/cv/tank/Challenger1.html
11. http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=12300
12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4743244.stm
13. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/March/middleeast_March296.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
14. http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/latimes457.html
15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4050231.stm
16. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/815304.html
17. http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=13&ReportId=61829&Country=Yes
18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4213699.stm
19. http://www.arabtimes.com/StarTrek_NEW.wmv

External links

★ Official website of his majesty King Abdullah II

★ The Family Line of HIH King Abdullah

★ ''Middle East Quarterly'' interview with King Abduallah II: "Iraq is the Battleground – the West against Iran"

★ A letter from the Committee to Protect Journalists directed to King Abdullah

★ Amnesty International report on alleged violations of human rights in Jordan under King Abdullah

★ King sees shared Jerusalem

★ Jordan's King Abdullah Pushes for Moderation

★ King's Academy

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