A HISTORY OF JORDAN

Though a small state, Jordan has frequently found itself at the centre of conflict and crisis in the modern Middle East. It has been a central protagonist in the wars of the region, notably the 1948 and 1967 Arab– Israeli wars, and has also been at the forefront of peace-making, signing a separate peace with Israel in 1994. Philip Robins’ survey of Jordan’s political history begins in the early 1920s, continues through the years of the British mandate, and traces events over the next half century to the present day. Throughout the latter period the country’s fortunes were closely identified with its head of state, King Hussein, until his death in 1999. In the early days, as the author testifies, his prospects were often regarded as grim. However, both King and country survived a variety of existential challenges, from assassination attempts and internal subversion to a civil war with the Palestine Liberation Organisation. In the 1970s and 1980s the country emerged as an apparently stable and prosperous state. However, King Hussein’s death, the succession of his son, Abdullah Ⅱ, and the recent upheavals in the region have plunged the country back into uncertainty. This is an incisive account, compellingly told, about one of the most important countries in the Middle East.

Philip Robins is University Lecturer in Politics with special reference to the Middle East in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of St Antony’s College. His most recent book is Suits and Uniforms: Turkish Foreign Policy since the Cold War (2003).

A HISTORY OF JORDAN

PHILIP ROBINS
University of Oxford

PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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© Philip Robins 2004

This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 2004

Printed in the United States of America

Typeface Adobe Garamond 11/12.5 pt.      System LATEX 2_e   [TB]

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

National Library of Australia Cataloguing in Publication data
Robins, Philip.
A history of Jordan.
Bibliography.
Includes index.
ISBN 0 521 59117 1 (hbk.).
ISBN 0 521 59895 8 (pbk.).
1. Hussein, King of Jordan, 1935– .
2. Jordan – Politics and government.
I. Title.
956.95043

ISBN 0 521 59117 1 hardback
ISBN 0 521 59895 8 paperback

For my daughter Isabel

Contents

Illustrations

Tables and Maps

Acknowledgements

It is well over two decades since I first went to Jordan, initially to live and work as a journalist and then to return to undertake doctoral research under the supervision of the redoubtable Tim Niblock. Since 1986, when I ceased to reside in the country, I have been a frequent visitor, most recently to conduct my current research into the field of illegal drugs. During this long association with the country I have talked with several hundreds of people, Jordanians, Palestinians and expatriates, many of them numerous times over. With hardly an exception, they have been kind and generous with their time, hospitality and insights. My thanks are due to each one of them. While to mention any by name is hard on the others, there are certain people whose assistance compels special mention. Nigel Denby, Paul and Jane Dracott, Keith and Janet Fraser-Smith, Tony and Alison Harpur, Declan and Liz Mannion, Alastair MacNeil, Dina Matar, Hana Muasher, Peter and Fenella Raftery, Mike and Maureen Ryan, and Alison Woods were all pivotal figures in my life at different times during my various stints in Jordan, and many remain close and valued friends. Debts of gratitude are particularly owed to Nasser Abu Nab, Lamis Andoni, Jalal Azzeh, Ian Chandler, Hiyyam Fakhoury, Yusuf al-Khadra, Rami and Ellen Khouri, David Oston and Sheila Oston, Rana Sabbagh, Jamal and Mary Sha’ir, Muraiwid and Ruth Tell, Ara Voskian, P. V. Vivekenand and Nidal Zayaddin for providing me with humour, sanctuary and good company. During the early days I learnt a lot about Jordan from associates who became more than just good contacts, and whose conversation was especially valuable and rich in insight, particularly Asad Abdul Rahman, Bill Burns, Alan Charlton, Fahd al-Fanek, Abdullah Hasanat, George Hawatmeh, Saji Salamah Khalil, Ahmad Mango, Marwan Muasher, Isam al-Tal and Tariq al-Tell. More recently Bassam Asfour, Ibrahim Izzedin, Musa Keilani, Sir John Moberly, Salameh Ne’matt, Amal Sabbagh, Asher Susser and Suhail al-Twal have continued to remind me how much understanding there is still to be done.

   Of course, romance and Jordan is not a new thing. I am pleased to say, though, that, unlike for some others, romance in Jordan for me found a personal rather than political fulfilment, as it was while working there that I met my wife, Helen. For that reason alone, this book would have been a labour of love.

   Though in many ways a product of more than 20 years of working on Jordan, the book was written after I joined the Middle East Centre (MEC) at St Antony’s College in the mid-1990s. I would like to thank Eugene Rogan, Avi Shlaim and the other fellows and members of the Centre for their stimulation and support, not least in the field of Jordan studies. Graduate students, both past and present, have helped turn the MEC into a centre of excellence as far as the study of Jordan is concerned. I should like in particular to thank Yoav Alon, Paul Kingston, Paul Lalor, Robert Satloff, Lawrence Tal, Tariq al-Tell and Basma Talal for convening and taking part in the numerous discussions of Jordan, past and present, in which I have been involved at the Centre. Lastly, I would also like to thank the staff of the MEC, not least the librarian, Mostan Ebtihaj, for her cheerful help in providing the necessary research sources to support my work, and the archivist, Debbie Usher, who was especially helpful in securing the bulk of the photos contained within this work.

   As for the book itself, I would like to thank Marigold Acland for commissioning it, for her patience in its preparation, and for her well-judged promptings during its writing. I would also like to thank Amanda Pinches and Karen Hildebrandt for their help in bringing the book to publication, and to Roger Bourke for his editing. With respect to the manuscript, Mary Wilson was kind enough to read it in its entirety. I am especially grateful to her, both for her detailed specific comments and her general observations. Helen also read the manuscript and made many judicious comments and suggestions based on her knowledge of the country. I am also especially grateful to Ahmad Khalidi and Tony Reeve who read and commented on specific chapters. As is usual on these occasions, I am happy to own up to responsibility for the final version.

Chronology

Map 1. Present-day Jordan

Map 2. Jordan and the West Bank (pre-1967)

Map 3. Jordan and the Middle East