Presidents and Monarchs: George W. Bush and King Abdullah II
Jordan is one of the nations in the United States that has been friendlier to the United States over time. This has not always been something beneficial to that nation. On June 23, 2000, while vacationing in the Greek Islands, Jordan's King Abdullah II received a phone call from the director of Mukhabarat (the country's Intelligence Directorate) warning him of an assassination attempt that was being plotted against him by Al-Qaeda. The plan was for the terrorist organization to target Abdullah and his family's rented yacht with explosives, but was discovered in time to prevent the King's assassination.
Thus, when the September 11 attacks in 2001 on American soil took place, they were strongly condemned by King Abdullah. Jordan proved to be a reliable American ally, responding quickly to US requests for assistance. Jordan enacted counterterrorism legislation and went on a high alert. Mukhabarat was helpful in preventing similar plots in 2002 on other Western targets, including the American and British embassies in Lebanon. On September 28, 2001, King Abdullah met with President Bush in the Oval Office to discuss the response to the attacks.
Abdullah was not supportive of all US plans however. When the Bush administration was planning an attack on Iraq because it believed that Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction, Abdullah opposed American intervention. When Vice-President Dick Cheney visited Jordan in 2002, the King told the Vice-President, "A strike on Iraq will be disastrous for Iraq and the region as a whole and will threaten the security and stability of the Middle East." His warnings went unheeded.
In March of 2003, the King traveled to Washington DC for a second meeting with President Bush at the White House. At the meeting, King Abdullah tried to dissuade the president from invading Iraq. He did so even though this view alienated Jordan from other American allies in the Persian Gulf region. His views even led to an economic crisis because of the suspension of foreign aid and investment to Jordan.
After being unsuccessful in his efforts to convince President Bush against the invasion of Iraq, King Abdullah offered some assistance to the coalition cause. He allowed American Patriot batteries to be stationed in the Jordanian desert along its border with Iraq, but he refused to allow coalition troops to launch an invasion from Jordan. At the time Jordan was receiving subsidized oil from Saddam Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq, saving his nation approximately $500 million per year.
When President Bush and the King met again in May of 2004, the President sought to maintain good relations with Jordan, while continuing his support for the invasion of Iraq. At a press conference following their meeting, the President said:
The economic relationship between our two countries has never been stronger. We continue to increase the ties of trade and investment, creating new opportunities for both our people. The free trade agreement between Jordan and the United States is a model for the region, as my government works to build a Middle East free trade agreement.
The United States is committed to helping Jordan along the path to prosperity through our strong support of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. And we're proud to support Jordan through our support for Jordan's social and economic transformation program.
His Majesty and his team are reform-minded individuals who care deeply about the citizens of the Kingdom of Jordan. We spent quite a deal of time -- quite a bit of time talking about lasting prosperity in Jordan, and our desire to help Jordan achieve lasting prosperity. We also know that lasting prosperity requires lasting security and peace in the region. Our two countries are working closely to ensure that the Middle East becomes safer and more prosperous and more free.
The fall of Saddam Hussein removed a source of instability and intimidation from the heart of the Middle East. All of Iraq's neighbors, including Jordan, are safer now. And the emergence of a peaceful, prosperous, and free Iraq will contribute to Jordan's security and prosperity.
The King expressed his concern for the conflict in the region. He told the media:
I remain very concerned about the critical phase our region is passing through. It is very important for the moderate voices seeking peace in our region to prevail, so that we can break out of the cycle of violence which has held us back for too long, and put the region on the new path to stability and prosperity.
The one issue however that the two leaders were marching in lockstep was in the fight against terrorism. The King went on to say:
Jordan stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States and the international community in our common fight against terrorism. We cannot allow the terrorists' political agenda to succeed. And we assure you that Jordan will continue to do its utmost to help win this cause.
The two leaders were asked about Jordanian troops joining in the fight in Iraq. President Bush said that he would not ask any nation, including Jordan, to send troops if they were not comfortable in doing so. The King clearly stated that no Jordanian troops would be sent to Iraq. He said:
I think that we in Jordan are too close, as other countries to Iraq are also, to send troops. I think it would be very difficult for Jordanians to be objective in committing troops to Iraq. We do have a long history of U.N. peacekeeping operations all over the world, but at this stage, I think the politics of the issue does not make sense for Jordanians to send troops at this time.
Jordan held its first parliamentary election under King Abdullah's rule in 2003. The election was supposed to be held in 2001, but it was postponed by the king due to regional political instability. The Jordanian constitution authorizes the monarch to postpone an election for a maximum of two years. His father, King Hussein, had implemented a controversial single non-transferable vote electoral system in 1991, and this served to limit the power of Islamic political parties. They obtained 22 of 80 seats in the 1989 elections. King Abdullah issued a royal decree before the election, introducing an amendment to the election law requiring that at least six women be elected to serve in seats in Parliament.
Jordan suffered a further terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda on November 9, 2005, when Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Amman. It was the deadliest attack in Jordan's history. Suicide bombers targeted three hotels, one of which was hosting a wedding. The attack killed 60 people and injured 115. In 2006, Al-Zarqawi was killed in a US airstrike with the aid of Jordanian intelligence agents. King Abdullah and Jordan are seen as enemies by Islamic extremists because of Jordan's peace treaty with Israel and its relationship with the West.
King Abdullah met with Russian president Vladimir Putin for the first time in February 2007. The two leaders discussed prospects for the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, Iran's nuclear program and violence in Iraq.
It has been reported that Jordan hosted 800,000 Iraqi refugees who fled the country following the American invasion. Most of these persons have now returned to Iraq. In 2008, Abdullah became the first Arab head of state to visit Iraq after the 2003 American invasion.
Thus, when the September 11 attacks in 2001 on American soil took place, they were strongly condemned by King Abdullah. Jordan proved to be a reliable American ally, responding quickly to US requests for assistance. Jordan enacted counterterrorism legislation and went on a high alert. Mukhabarat was helpful in preventing similar plots in 2002 on other Western targets, including the American and British embassies in Lebanon. On September 28, 2001, King Abdullah met with President Bush in the Oval Office to discuss the response to the attacks.
Abdullah was not supportive of all US plans however. When the Bush administration was planning an attack on Iraq because it believed that Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction, Abdullah opposed American intervention. When Vice-President Dick Cheney visited Jordan in 2002, the King told the Vice-President, "A strike on Iraq will be disastrous for Iraq and the region as a whole and will threaten the security and stability of the Middle East." His warnings went unheeded.
In March of 2003, the King traveled to Washington DC for a second meeting with President Bush at the White House. At the meeting, King Abdullah tried to dissuade the president from invading Iraq. He did so even though this view alienated Jordan from other American allies in the Persian Gulf region. His views even led to an economic crisis because of the suspension of foreign aid and investment to Jordan.
After being unsuccessful in his efforts to convince President Bush against the invasion of Iraq, King Abdullah offered some assistance to the coalition cause. He allowed American Patriot batteries to be stationed in the Jordanian desert along its border with Iraq, but he refused to allow coalition troops to launch an invasion from Jordan. At the time Jordan was receiving subsidized oil from Saddam Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq, saving his nation approximately $500 million per year.
When President Bush and the King met again in May of 2004, the President sought to maintain good relations with Jordan, while continuing his support for the invasion of Iraq. At a press conference following their meeting, the President said:
The economic relationship between our two countries has never been stronger. We continue to increase the ties of trade and investment, creating new opportunities for both our people. The free trade agreement between Jordan and the United States is a model for the region, as my government works to build a Middle East free trade agreement.
The United States is committed to helping Jordan along the path to prosperity through our strong support of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. And we're proud to support Jordan through our support for Jordan's social and economic transformation program.
His Majesty and his team are reform-minded individuals who care deeply about the citizens of the Kingdom of Jordan. We spent quite a deal of time -- quite a bit of time talking about lasting prosperity in Jordan, and our desire to help Jordan achieve lasting prosperity. We also know that lasting prosperity requires lasting security and peace in the region. Our two countries are working closely to ensure that the Middle East becomes safer and more prosperous and more free.
The fall of Saddam Hussein removed a source of instability and intimidation from the heart of the Middle East. All of Iraq's neighbors, including Jordan, are safer now. And the emergence of a peaceful, prosperous, and free Iraq will contribute to Jordan's security and prosperity.
The King expressed his concern for the conflict in the region. He told the media:
I remain very concerned about the critical phase our region is passing through. It is very important for the moderate voices seeking peace in our region to prevail, so that we can break out of the cycle of violence which has held us back for too long, and put the region on the new path to stability and prosperity.
The one issue however that the two leaders were marching in lockstep was in the fight against terrorism. The King went on to say:
Jordan stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States and the international community in our common fight against terrorism. We cannot allow the terrorists' political agenda to succeed. And we assure you that Jordan will continue to do its utmost to help win this cause.
The two leaders were asked about Jordanian troops joining in the fight in Iraq. President Bush said that he would not ask any nation, including Jordan, to send troops if they were not comfortable in doing so. The King clearly stated that no Jordanian troops would be sent to Iraq. He said:
I think that we in Jordan are too close, as other countries to Iraq are also, to send troops. I think it would be very difficult for Jordanians to be objective in committing troops to Iraq. We do have a long history of U.N. peacekeeping operations all over the world, but at this stage, I think the politics of the issue does not make sense for Jordanians to send troops at this time.
Jordan held its first parliamentary election under King Abdullah's rule in 2003. The election was supposed to be held in 2001, but it was postponed by the king due to regional political instability. The Jordanian constitution authorizes the monarch to postpone an election for a maximum of two years. His father, King Hussein, had implemented a controversial single non-transferable vote electoral system in 1991, and this served to limit the power of Islamic political parties. They obtained 22 of 80 seats in the 1989 elections. King Abdullah issued a royal decree before the election, introducing an amendment to the election law requiring that at least six women be elected to serve in seats in Parliament.
Jordan suffered a further terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda on November 9, 2005, when Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Amman. It was the deadliest attack in Jordan's history. Suicide bombers targeted three hotels, one of which was hosting a wedding. The attack killed 60 people and injured 115. In 2006, Al-Zarqawi was killed in a US airstrike with the aid of Jordanian intelligence agents. King Abdullah and Jordan are seen as enemies by Islamic extremists because of Jordan's peace treaty with Israel and its relationship with the West.
King Abdullah met with Russian president Vladimir Putin for the first time in February 2007. The two leaders discussed prospects for the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, Iran's nuclear program and violence in Iraq.
It has been reported that Jordan hosted 800,000 Iraqi refugees who fled the country following the American invasion. Most of these persons have now returned to Iraq. In 2008, Abdullah became the first Arab head of state to visit Iraq after the 2003 American invasion.