Why Jordan’s Royal Family Drama Imperils Regional Stability
King Abdullah II gives a speech in Amman, Jordan in December.
Photographer: Yousef Allan/The Royal Hashemite Court/AP Photo
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Jordan’s stability, long protected by the U.S. and other global allies, was suddenly shaken by the dramatic arrests in early April of some royal family members and others accused of plotting unrest in the kingdom. Former Crown Prince Hamza Bin Hussein, King Abdullah II’s half-brother, who is seen as popular among Bedouin tribes in the kingdom’s traditional society, was put under house arrest. Jordan’s stability is crucial to the region because of its role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its situation on the borders of war-torn Syria and Iraq. The kingdom has fashioned itself as a force for moderation in a turbulent neighborhood.