Abdullah II of Jordan

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Abdullah II bin al-Hussein
عبد الله الثاني بن الحسين
King of Jordan
Image:Abdullah II of Jordan, 2007March07 (cropped).jpg
King Abdullah II, March 2007
Reign 07 February 1999 – present
Born 30 January 1962 (1962-01-30) (age 46)
Birthplace Amman, Jordan
Predecessor Hussein of Jordan
Heir-Apparent Hussein bin Al Abdullah
Consort Rania Al-Yassin
Issue Hussein bin Al Abdullah
Iman bint Al Abdullah
Salma bint Al Abdullah
Prince Hashem bin Al Abdullah
Royal House Hashemite
Father Hussein of Jordan
Mother Muna al-Hussein

Abdullah II bin al-Hussein, King of Jordan (Arabic: الملك عبد الله الثاني بن الحسين‎, al-Malik ʿAbdullāh aṯ-ṯānī bin al-Ḥusayn) is the ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He became king of Jordan on February 7, 1999 after the death of his father King Hussein. King Abdullah is a member of the Hashemite family and is reportedly the 43rd-generation direct descendant of prophet Muhammad.[1] Abdullah's parents were King Hussein and Princess Muna al-Hussein.

Contents

[edit] Education and Military career

Abdullah was schooled at St. Edmund's School in Surrey, England as well as Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the United States. His university training was at Pembroke College, Oxford. In 1980, Abdullah left Pembroke and 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.[2] In 1987, he completed an advanced studies and research program at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He took full command of the Jordanian special forces in November 1993, becoming a Major general. He commanded the special forces until 1996, when he was instructed to reorganize the special forces and other special units under the special operation command SOCOM.[3] Upon assuming his constitutional powers, he became the commander-in-chief. King Abdullah holds the ranks of Field Marshal in the Jordan Arab Army and Marshal of the Royal Jordanian Air Force.[4]

[edit] Marriage and children

Abdullah is married to a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, Queen Rania al-Abdullah. They have four children:

Royal Family of Jordan

*already part of the family but moved to reflect her now married position

[edit] King of Jordan

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

King 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. Since Abdullah's mother, Princess Muna al-Hussein was British by birth,[5] the decision was not universally popular.[citation needed]

[edit] Politics as King

King Abdullah is the head of a 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.[6] Healthcare is now easy to receive even in rural parts of Jordan. The adult literacy rate is 90%,[7] one of the highest in the Arab World. Foreign direct investment from the West as well as the countries of the Persian Gulf has continued to increase.[citation needed]

Abdullah's 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 to discuss ways in which Muslims and Christians can continue to work together for peace, tolerance, and coexistence.

The King announced on March 2, 2007 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.[8]

King Abdullah II has worked 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 solution for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. He tried to impose a cease-fire when the Israel-Hezbollah war broke out in the summer of 2006. 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.[citation needed]

Palestinians are given citizenship more easily than Iraqi refugees are. 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.[citation needed] The king was expected to pay a lot of attention on domestic policy and domestic issues[1], his cooperation with the United States gained Jordan better economic and military position.[citation needed] His position with peace in the Middle East is met with criticism from Jordanians of Palestinian descent.

Jordan received criticism when Toujan al-Faisal, Jordan's first female member of Parliament and an outspoken advocate for freedom of expression and human rights, was jailed for slandering the government after she charged it with corruption in a letter to Abdullah.[9]

Israel's GOC Central Command leader of the Israeli army, Yair Naveh, said in a gathering with reporters that King Abdullah might fall and that he could be Jordan's last king.[10] The statement created tension between the two countries, and afterwards Naveh retracted his statement and apologized.[11] Later, the Israeli prime minister expressed the disagreement of Israel with Naveh's statement, and referred to it as a personal and irrelevant view.[2][3] In March 2007, Ehud Olmert commented on any American withdrawal from Iraq 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."[12]

Like his father, King Abdullah pushed forward a policy of reform. In a speech before the United States Congress, King Abdullah presented several political reform strategies to help Jordan become more democratic.[13] The new economic policies have seen many results in Jordan. Abdullah's 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.[14]

King Abdullah has a strong belief in a powerful military and has led Jordan into adopting a "quality over quantity" policy. This policy has led Jordan to acquire advanced weaponry and great increase and enhancing its F-16 fighter jet fleet.[15] The ground forces have acquired the Challenger 1 main battle tank.[16]

The Personal Standard of the King of Jordan
The Personal Standard of the King of Jordan

[edit] 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.[17]

[edit] 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.[18] According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs though, 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 it a powerful country capable of developing nuclear energy.[19] Jordan is one of the few non-petroleum producing nations in the region and is strategically dependent on oil from its neighbor, Iraq. Continuing civil unrest in Iraq puts Jordanian national and energy security at risk.

[edit] 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 U.S. ally, to take steps towards democracy."[20] King Abdullah was commended on his political reform strategies.[13]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kingabdullah.jo {2006), His Majesty King Abdullah II: King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Royal Hashemite Court. Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
  2. ^ King of Jordan meets troops in UK, BBC News, March 3, 2004. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  3. ^ Exclusive Interview: Partner for Peace.
  4. ^ Gilani.com.pk (2 May, 2007), The Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan.
  5. ^ Jordan and the UK: A long and robust relationship, BBC News, November 6, 2001. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  6. ^ Jordan—Concluding Statement for the 2006 Article IV Consultation and Fourth Post-Program Monitoring Discussions, International Monetary Fund, November 28, 2006. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  7. ^ Unicef. "At a glance: Jordan". Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
  8. ^ Hussein, Mohammad Ben. King opens Parliament today, Jordan Times, November 28, 2006. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  9. ^ "Jordan jails outspoken dissident", BBC News, May 16, 2002. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  10. ^ Bannoura, Saed. Naveh: “King Abdullah is liable to be the last king of Jordan”, Occupation Magazine, February 23, 2006. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  11. ^ Israeli general in Jordan apology, BBC News, February 23, 2006. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  12. ^ Jordan irked by Olmert remarks on Iraq pullout, Khaleej Times, March 19, 2007. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  13. ^ a b The Washington Institute for Near East Policy Reform and Development in Jordan: Toward an Arab Renaissance. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  14. ^ White House Office of the Press Secretary (September 28, 2001), Overview: U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
  15. ^ Defense Industry Daily (February 14, 2007). Jordan Buys 20 F-16 MLU from Holland, Belgium (updated). Watershed Publishing. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  16. ^ FV4030/4 Challenger 1 Main Battle Tank
  17. ^ Jordan crown prince loses title, BBC News, November 29, 2004. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  18. ^ Eldar, Akiva. King Abdullah to Haaretz: Jordan aims to develop nuclear power, Haaretz, January 20, 2007. Accessed June 3, 2008.
  19. ^ JORDAN: Water shortage remains a constant headache
  20. ^ Jordan edging towards democracy, BBC News, January 27, 2005. Accessed June 3, 2008.

[edit] External links

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Abdullah II of Jordan
Born: 30 January 1962
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Hussein		 King of Jordan
1999 – present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Designated heir:
Prince Hussein bin Al Abdullah