There are few things like a new ruler in post to excite the politics of a semi-authoritarian country. Jordan after King Hussein in February 1999 was no exception, except for the fact that Abdullah II’s accession coincided with those of the leaders of three other countries: King Hamad of Bahrain in March 1999; King Muhammad VI of Morocco (locally referred to as M6) in July 1999, and Bashar al-Asad of Syria in July 2000. It was not therefore the case that Abdullah II was the only focus of febrile speculation about inexperience, or that the King of Jordan would be the least adept at managing such pressures. As with personality and policy at home, King Abdullah felt isolated and ill-equipped for the tasks abroad – apart from the operational and the tactical, in relation to which he felt altogether more confident. There was a foreign-policy cadre of sorts in Jordan, but it tended to be quiet and deferential, and was heavily beholden to its domestic counterpart. King Hussein had tended to act as his own foreign minister, suggesting that there were few ample dossiers of genuine insight in the palace secretariat.