King Hussein of Jordan: A Political Life »

Nigel Ashton is senior lecturer, Department of International History, London School of Economics and Political Science, and author of Kennedy, Macmillan and the Cold War.

A towering figure in the history of Jordan, King Hussein reigned for nearly half a century, from his grandfather’s assassination in 1953 to his own death in 1999. In this fascinating biography, Nigel Ashton recounts the eventful life of the king who not only survived but flourished amidst crisis after crisis as ruler of a poor desert nation surrounded by powerful and hostile neighbors. Hussein skillfully navigated complicated relationships with the British, his fellow Arab leaders, the new bordering state of Israel, masses of dispossessed Palestinians within his kingdom, every U.S. president from Eisenhower to Clinton, and every British prime minister from Churchill to Blair. This book illuminates the private man, his key relationships, and his achievements and disappointments as a central player in the tough world of Middle Eastern politics.

Ashton has had unique access to King Hussein’s private papers, including his secret correspondence with U.S., British, and Israeli leaders, and he has also conducted numerous interviews with members of Hussein’s circle and immediate family. The resulting book brings new depth to our understanding of the popular and canny king while also providing new information about the wars of 1967 and 1973, President Reagan’s role in the Iran-Contra affair, the evolution of the Middle East peace process, and much more.

Publishers Weekly

In this respectful and measured scholarly evaluation, Ashton (Kennedy, Macmillan and the Cold War) builds on unprecedented access to the late king's entire correspondence and more than two dozen interviews to lend valuable insight into how Hussein's shrewdness and empathy kept him politically (and literally) alive as well as casting light on many a foreign policy enigma-notably a confirmation that Ronald Regan personally authorized what became the Iran-Contra scandal. While Hussein's uneasy alliance with the socialist brand of Arab nationalism under Egypt's Nasser led him into "the greatest calamity of his reign," the 1967 Six-Day War with Israel, he remained "ever alert to the shifting power dynamics of the Arab world," often maintaining a precarious balance between the Western powers, the Arab states and Israelwhile wielding influence disproportionate to Jordan's relatively modest assets. Ashton reveals Hussein's longstanding covert contact with Israel and his clandestine communications with Israelis in the immediate aftermath of the 1967 warto suggest the possibilities and missed opportunities (including by the U.S.) for a peaceful settlement in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict-just one reason this book feels so timely and relevant. (Sept.)

Acknowledgements ix

List of Illustrations xii

Introduction: A Contested Destiny 1

Chapter 1 The Tragedy of King Talal 13

Chapter 2 Breaking the British Connection, 1953-6 37

Chapter 3 To Hold a Throne, 1956-7 54

Chapter 4 A Dynasty under Threat, 1957-61 68

Chapter 5 Arab Cold War and Détente, 1962-6 89

Chapter 6 The Path to Disaster, 1966-7 105

Chapter 7 Lost in a Sandstorm: Hussein and the Peace Process, 1967-8 121

Chapter 8 'Seven Questions of Israel': The September 1970 Crisis 136

Chapter 9 The October War 158

Chapter 10 Disengagement and Disillusionment, 1973-7 179

Chapter 11 The Camp David Disaster, 1977-9 193

Chapter 12 The Iran-Iraq War, 1980-88 210

Chapter 13 Fishing in the Dead Sea: King Hussein and the Peace Process, 1980-89 230

Chapter 14 Between Iraq and a Hard Place: King Hussein and the Gulf Crisis, 1990-91 258

Chapter 15 From Madrid to Oslo: King Hussein and the Peace Process, 1991-3 284

Chapter 16 The Best of Enemies, the Best of Friends: Hussein, Rabin and the Jordanian-Israeli Peace Treaty 300

Chapter 17 The Bitter Aftertaste of Peace 317

Chapter 18 The Liberation of Iraq, 1995-7 336

Chapter 19 A Destiny Fulfilled? 348

Select Bibliography 371

Notes 379

Index 421