King Hussein and the Challenge of Arab Radicalism: Jordan, 1955-1967

When the young Hussein became the King of Jordan in 1953, conventional wisdom held that his days were numbered. As the embodiment of the socially conservative, pro-Western Jordanian state, he seemed little able to stand up to the rising forces of pan-Arab radicalism. Yet Hussein and the Jordanian monarchy have not only endured, they have thrived, and continue to play a vital role in Middle Eastern politics. Historian Uriel Dann here explores the political history of the formative years of the…