Book contents
- A History of Jordan
- A History of Jordan
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Maps
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 On the Edge of Empire
- 2 Founding State and Regime
- 3 The Long Road to Independence
- 4 Loss of Innocence
- 5 The Roaring Fifties
- 6 The Road to Disaster
- 7 Illusions of Progress
- 8 Hussein’s Choices
- 9 Abdullah’s Governance Debate at Home
- 10 International Relations Under Abdullah
- Conclusion: Jordan: Still a Politely Run Authoritarian State
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
8 - Hussein’s Choices
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 September 2019
- A History of Jordan
- A History of Jordan
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Maps
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 On the Edge of Empire
- 2 Founding State and Regime
- 3 The Long Road to Independence
- 4 Loss of Innocence
- 5 The Roaring Fifties
- 6 The Road to Disaster
- 7 Illusions of Progress
- 8 Hussein’s Choices
- 9 Abdullah’s Governance Debate at Home
- 10 International Relations Under Abdullah
- Conclusion: Jordan: Still a Politely Run Authoritarian State
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The last decade of King Hussein’s life was among its most eventful, a reminder of the potential for turbulence, both at home and next door. It began with virtual economic collapse, including a plummeting dinar and debt default, leading to a decade-long stewardship of the Jordanian economy by the IMF. The conduct of structural adjustment triggered rioting – not from among Palestinians, but from within the heartlands of the East Bank. Suddenly, virtually out of the blue, the political base of the regime appeared to be fragile. Struggling to keep up, the King conceded liberal reform at home as a way of ameliorating economic austerity.
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- Information
- A History of Jordan , pp. 175 - 209Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019