King Hussein and the Challenge of Arab Radicalism

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 Jordanian state uncovering the sources of its durability against forces seeking to fundamentally alter the traditional bases of Arab politics.