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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{{Fact|date=July 2007}}.
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{{Fact|date=July 2007}}.


==Honours==
== Controversy==
{{POV-section|date=December 2007}}
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]][http://hrw.org/doc?t=mideast&c=jordan]). 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.<ref>http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=12300</ref> Afterwards, the Israeli general had to retract his statement, creating tension between the two countries.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4743244.stm</ref> 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."<ref>http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/March/middleeast_March296.xml&section=middleeast&col=</ref>
- ''[[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.<ref>http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/latimes457.html</ref>


==Honours==


== Reforms ==
== Reforms ==

Revision as of 03:02, 14 December 2007

King Abdullah II
King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
King Abdullah II, March 2007
ReignFebruary 7, 1999 - present
PredecessorHussein bin Talal
IssuePrince Hussein
Princess Iman
Princess Salma
Prince Hashem
HouseHashemite
FatherHussein bin Talal
MotherMuna al-Hussein

King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein.(Arabic: الملك عبدالله الثاني ابن الحسين), King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He became king of Jordan on February 7th,1999 after the passing of his father King Hussein[1]. King Abdullah is part of the Hashemite family and is reportedly the 43rd-generation direct descendant of prophet Muhammad[2]. Abdullah's parents were King Hussein and Princess Muna al-Hussein, born Antoinette (Toni) Avril Gardiner.

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[3]. 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, and in 1998 he was instructed to re-organize the special forces and other special units under the special oporation command SOCCOM[4]. 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[5].

Marriage and children

Abdullah is married to a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, Queen Rania al-Abdullah, who is renowned for her philanthropic work. They have four children:

Jordanian royal family
List
Extended royal family
Noor and others
Queen Noor
Haya and others
Muna and others
Princess Muna
Alia
Firyal and others
Hassan and others
Basma
Nayef and others

King of Jordan

File:Kingabdulla worldeconomicforum.jpg
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 British by birth (born in Chelmondiston).[6] The King's mixed Arab and British ancestry was a matter of contention for many.

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.[7]

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[citation needed].

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.[8]

King Abdullah II is continuing the work of his father, King Hussein, by promoting 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%, one of the highest in the Arab World and foreign direct investment from the west as well as the countries of the Persian Gulf has continued to increase. [citation needed].

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[citation needed].

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[citation needed].

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[1]). 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.[9] Afterwards, the Israeli general had to retract his statement, creating tension between the two countries.[10] 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."[11] - 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.[12]

Honours

Reforms

Political achievements

  • Like his father, King Abdullah pushed forward a policy of reform. Politically, King Abdullah pushed democratic reform significantly, making the country more involved in politics and public issues along with fighting corruption in his homeland. In a speech before the United States Congress, King Abdullah presented several political reform strategies that helped Jordan become more democratic[13].

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[14], 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 [15]

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 F-16 fighter jet fleet. [16] The ground forces have also seen significant improvement in the acquisition of the Challenger 1 main battle tank.[17]

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.[18]

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.[19] 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 Jordan a powerful country capable of developing nuclear energy[20]. 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[citation needed].

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.[21] King Abdullah was commended on his political reform strategies.[22].

Interests

File:King Abdullah on Star Trek.jpg
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 also likes to promote tourism in Jordan, and was the guide for the documentary by the travel channel in Jordan.

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 Star Trek: Voyager episode "Investigations".[23]

King Abdullah is an alumnus of Jeff Cooper's Orange Gunsite shooting school, in Paulden, Arizona, United States

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.kingabdullah.jo/main.php?main_page=0&lang_hmka1=1
  2. ^ http://www.kingabdullah.jo/main.php?main_page=0&lang_hmka1=1
  3. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/3528613.stm
  4. ^ http://www.special-operations-technology.com/article.cfm?DocID=1361
  5. ^ http://www.gilani.com.pk/kings/kingsjordan.htm
  6. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1634962.stm
  7. ^ http://www.imf.org/external/np/ms/2006/112806.htm
  8. ^ http://www.jordanembassyus.org/11282006005.htm
  9. ^ http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=12300
  10. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4743244.stm
  11. ^ http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/March/middleeast_March296.xml&section=middleeast&col=
  12. ^ http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/latimes457.html
  13. ^ http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2308
  14. ^ http://www2.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/World+Economic+Forum+in+Jordan+2005.html
  15. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010928-12.html
  16. ^ http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/jordan-buys-20-f16-mlu-from-holland-belgium-updated-02176/
  17. ^ http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/cv/tank/Challenger1.html
  18. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4050231.stm
  19. ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/815304.html
  20. ^ http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=13&ReportId=61829&Country=Yes
  21. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4213699.stm
  22. ^ http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2308
  23. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9m_Ols6tGs
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