The chief of royal protocol, Amer Al-Fayez, and his staff, particularly Seeta Talhouni Mirza, were essential in coordinating the scores of interviews with current and former Jordanian officials to ensure that the book thoroughly reflected the views of those who were most knowledgeable about the events I describe. Widad Maria Salah and Shaza Moghraby at the Media and Communication Directorate at the Royal Court did a tremendous job in researching and reviewing materials for the book. My thanks also go to Dr. Jafar Hassan, former director of the International Affairs Directorate at the Royal Court, and as of December 14, 2009, minister of planning and international cooperation, who helped in retrieving scores of critical documents from the royal archives. Also deserving appreciation is Haron Hassan, who has helped create a Web site for the book.
Many friends, family members, and current and former Jordanian officials shared their recollections to help flesh out my memories of events past. A partial list of them includes: HM Queen Rania, HRH Princess Muna, HRH Prince Feisal, HRH Prince Ali, HRH Prince Ghazi, HH Prince Zeid, Zaid Rifai, Field Marshal Abdul Hafez Kaabneh, Dr. Samir Mutawi, General Ahmed Sarhan, Dr. Marwan Muasher, Nasser Judeh, Samir Rifai, Karim Kawar, Dr. Bassem Awadallah, Brigadier Ali Jaradat, Lt. Col. Nathem Rawashdeh, Dr. Mutayyam al O’ran, Dr. Eric Widmer, and Robert Richer.
Special thanks go to Drosten Fisher for his invaluable help with the writing of what has become Our Last Best Chance. Drosten attended Oxford and Georgetown Universities. An Arabic speaker and a thoughtful student of the Middle East, Drosten kindly took a leave of absence from his work at a consulting firm to help me with the project. He has proven to be a terrific choice in helping me to assemble, shape, and present my thoughts on paper.
As in all things, I am enormously grateful to my extended family. Readers of this book will know that my six sisters, four brothers, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins have played a critical role in making me who I am and in helping me achieve whatever good I have accomplished in my life. My father, His Late Majesty King Hussein, and my mother, Her Royal Highness Princess Muna, gave me an opportunity to live an extraordinary life, to see what few have seen, and to do my best to serve the people of Jordan.
God has given me many blessings. But the greatest of all is to be husband to Rania, and father to our children Hussein, Iman, Salma, and Hashem. They are the lights of my life.
INDEX
Abbas, Mahmoud (Abu Mazen)
Abdullah II, meetings with
Annapolis conference (2007)
Israel-Palestine peace efforts
Netanyahu, meetings with
as PNA president
settlement conditions of
Abdel Ilah, Prince of Iraq
Abdel-Rahman, Sheikh
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah II, meeting with
Abdullah I ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan
assassination of
and Great Arab Revolt
and Israel-Palestine conflict
kingdom, scope of
on T. E. Lawrence
Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan
Amman Message
assassination threats to
Benedict XVI, outreach to
Crown Prince of. See Hussein bin Abdullah II, Crown Prince of Jordan
early life. See Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, Prince of Jordan
economy, approach to
educational reforms
global outreach, success of
governmental reforms of
honor killings, campaign against
information network, building of
institutional improvements by
Iraq reconstruction plan of
during Iraq War
Iraq War, opposition to
Islamic extremists, best defense against
and Islamic extremists in Jordan
Israel-Palestine peace efforts
King’s Academy
leadership, grooming by King Hussein for
Middle East, tour as king
nuclear program
prime ministers of
prisoner amnesty by
Rania pronounced queen
on religion/politics mix
on September 11
on Shia-led Iraq
sworn as king
terrorist hunt by
U.S. Congress, address to (2007)
U.S. Jordan FTA
world leaders, relations with. See names of individual leaders
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, Prince of Jordan
birth of
in British army
children. See Hashem bin Abdullah II, Prince of Jordan; Hussein bin Abdullah II, Crown Prince of Jordan; Iman bint Abdullah II, Princess of Jordan; Salma bint Abdullah II, Princess of Jordan
as crown prince
as diplomatic liaison
education of
grandfather. See Talal bin Abdullah, King of Jordan
great-grandfather. See Abdullah I ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan
great-great-grandfather. See Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca
Gulf War (1991)
on Iraq invasion of Kuwait (1990)
on Jewish migration to Palestine
in Jordanian army. See Jordanian army (Jordan Armed Forces)
lineage of
line of succession, removal from
military education, Sandhurst
motto of
during 1967 war
North Korea, visit to
parents. See Hussein bin Talal, King of Jordan; Muna Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan
pastimes of
prejudice, experience of
protection during childhood of
and Saddam Hussein family
siblings of
sports/athletics
successor to
sworn as king
wife. See entries under Rania Al Abdullah
Abir Muheisen
Abrams, Elliott
Abu Baker Al Seddiq
Abu Dhabi, Abdullah II,
tour as king
Abu Ghraib
Abu Hussein “Father of Hussein,”
Act of Union
Afghanistan
Islamic extremists in
Russian occupation
U.S. war in (2001)
Al Ahliyya Amman University
Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud
Airline hijackings
Aisha bint Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan
education of
in Jordan army
at Mayo Clinic
mother of
Akkad, Moustapha
Alami, Nadia
Al Aqsa intifada
Al Aqsa Mosque
Alia bint Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan
Ali bin Al Hussein, Prince of Jordan
Ali bin Al Hussein, King of Hijaz
Allawi, Ayad
Amit, General Meir
Amman Message
Annapolis conference (2007)
Ansar al-Islam
Aqaba
Arabian Gulf, American presence in
Arab League
on invasion of Kuwait (1990)
summit (2009)
summit (2010)
Arab Legion
Arab Peace Initiative (2002)
Arab states. See Middle East
Arab Summit (1967)
Arafat, Yasser
and Abdullah II
brain surgery in Jordan
Bush (G. W.) view of
death of
Fatah movement
imprisonment at Ramallah
Israel-Palestine peace efforts
Jordan, expulsion from
in Jordan, violence by
and Oslo Accords
Wye River Memorandum (1998)
Aramex
Armitage, Richard
Al Askari Mosque
Assad, Bashar al-
Assad, Hafez,
al-Abdullah II, meeting with
Clinton (Bill), meeting with
Golan Heights attack (1973)
and Hussein of Jordan
Awadallah, Bassem
Awakening Councils
Ayoubi, Randa
Baader-Meinhof Gang
Baath Party
Bab Al Salam
Balfour, Arthur
Balfour Declaration
Baptism Site
Barak, Ehud
Abdullah II, meetings with
Israel-Palestine peace efforts
on Netanyahu
Barqawi, Isam Muhammad Taher
Bashir, Omar Al-
Al Bashir Hospital
Basman Palace
Battikhi, General Samih
Bay’at al-Emam
Begin, Menachem
Beidh, Ali Salem Al-
Benedict XVI, Pope, Abdullah II outreach to
Berg, Nicholas
Berlin Wall, fall of
Biden, Joe
Bilbeisi, Ali
Bin Laden, Osama
Black September
Blair, Tony
Bremer, L. Paul
Bridge Too Far, A
British Mandate
Buergenthal, Thomas
Burns, William
Bush, George H. W., Iraq invasion of Kuwait (1990)
Bush, George W.
Abdullah II, meetings with
on Abu Ghraib
administration, neocons in
Afghanistan, war in
Annapolis conference (2007)
anti-Palestinian position
on Arafat
democracy abroad, concept of
Iraq as focus of
Iraq invasion by. See Iraq War
Israel-Palestine peace, neglect of
Sharon, meeting with
Camberley Staff College
Camp David Accords (1978)
Carlos the Jackal
Carter, Jimmy
Catholic-Muslim Forum
Chalabi, Ahmad
Chambers, John
Charles, Prince of Wales
Charter of Damascus (1915)
Cheney, Dick
Cheney, Liz
Chirac, Jacques
Christians
Jerusalem, significance to
Jordanian community of
religious sites in Jordan
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Church of the Nativity
Israeli siege at
Circassians
Cisco Systems
Clinton, Bill
Abdullah II, meetings with
Assad of Syria, meeting with
Barak/Arafat at Camp David
Clinton Parameters (2000)
Declaration of Principles (1993)
Hamas leader poisoning, help with
Hussein of Jordan’s view of
Iraq Liberation Act (1998)
Washington Declaration (1994)
Wye River Memorandum (1998)
Clinton, Hillary
Abdullah II, meetings with
Israel-Palestine peace efforts
and Middle Eastern politics
Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA)
Crawford, James
Crusades
Da’as, Ashraf
Dawson’s Field hijacking
Dayan, Moshe
Days Inn Amman attack
Declaration of Principles (1993)
Deerfield Academy
Abdullah II at
King’s Academy based on
Defensive Shield
Deir Yassin massacre (1948)
DeLay, Tom
Dhofar rebellion
Diwan. See Royal Court (Diwan)
Dome of the Rock
Dori, Colonel Shaul
Dura, Jamal
Eaglebrook School
East Bank
Palestinian refugees in
returned to Jordan by Israel
East Jerusalem
building moratorium, failure of
illegal Israeli settlements
Israeli claim on
Israeli seizure of (1967)
Jordan educational reforms in
Palestinian fight for
Economic Consultative Council
Eden, Anthony
Egypt
Abdullah II, tour as king
Camp David Accords (1978)
-Jordan defense treaty (1967)
1967 war
Palestinians, protection of
regains Sinai (1979)
revolutionary groups in
Suez crisis
See also Mubarak, Hosni; Nasser, Gamal Abdel; Sadat, Anwar
Elizabeth II, Queen of England
Erdogan, Recep Tayyep
Eshkol, Levi
Fadlallah, Muhammad Hussein
Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Sheik of Kuwait
Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia
Faisal II, King of Iraq
Faisal I ibn Al Hussein, King of Syria and Iraq
Falklands War (1982)
Farraj, Dr. Samir
Fatah Party
founding of
-Hamas conflict
PNA control by
Fatwas
Faux, George “Gig,”
Fayez, Faisal
Fayyad, Salam
Fedayeen. See Palestinian guerrillas
Feisal bin Al Hussein, Prince of Jordan
as air force commander
education of
1967 war
and Saddam Hussein family
Feith, Douglas
Foley, Laurence
Fort Knox
Foundation Stone
France
and Arab world, post World War I
and Suez crisis
Franks, Tommy
Free trade agreement
Fundamentalists
Islamic. See also Islamic extremists
Gardiner, Antoinette. See Muna Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan
Gates, Bill
Gaza
Abdullah II, tour as king
blockade by Israel (2007)
Hamas occupation of (2007)
Israeli disengagement (2005)
Israeli invasion (2006)
Israeli invasion (2008)
Israeli seizure of (1967)
Jordanian humanitarian aid to (2009)
Gemayel, Bachir
Georgetown University
Ghazi bin Muhammad, Prince of Jordan
and Amman Message
1967 war
Pope, outreach to
and Saddam Hussein family
Glubb, Sir John
Golan Heights
Israeli seizure of (1967)
Syria attempts to regain (1973)
Goldberg, Arthur
Goldstone, Richard
Grand Hyatt Amman attack
Grand Mosque seizure
Great Arab Revolt
Great Britain
and Arab world, post World War I
in Iraq War
Mandate over Palestine
and Suez crisis
Gulf War (1991)
Habib, Philip
Haganah
Hajj
Hakim, Abdul Aziz
Halaby, Lisa. See Noor, Queen of Jordan
Halevy, Efraim
Halutz, Dan
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain
Hamas
-Fatah conflict
Gaza, occupation by (2007)
governmental control by (2005)
in Jordan
leaders, assassination of
suicide bombers
tax payments/aid suspended by Israel (2006)
Hamzah bin Al Hussein, Prince of Jordan
and line of succession
mother of
Al Haram Al Sharif
Muslims, importance to
Sharon provocation at
Hashem bin
Abdullah II,
Prince of Jordan
Hashemite family
as guardians of Jerusalem
history of
in Iraq
Hashemiyah Palace
Hashim bin Al Hussein, Prince of Jordan
Hassan bin Talal, Crown Prince of Jordan
chain of command bypassed by
Hassan bin Talal, Crown Prince of Jordan (cont.)
Hussein names as successor
removed from line of succession
reprimand by Hussein
rumors of Hussein’s death spread by
Haya bint Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan
Hebrew Resistance Movement
Helms, Richard
Hercules
Herut Movement
Hezbollah, invasion of Israel (2006)
Hikma
Hodermarsky, Dan
Honor killings
Hostages
Americans in Iran (1979)
in Kuwait (1990)
Hussein, Qusay
and Abdullah II
character traits of
death of
as drug smuggler
Hussein, Raghad
Hussein, Rana
Hussein, Saddam
capture of
daughters, exile in Jordan
execution of
Hussein of Jordan mediation efforts with
invasion of Kuwait (1990)
kills sons-in-law
palace of
personality traits
Hussein, Uday
and Abdullah II
character traits of
death of
murder charge
Hussein bin Abdullah II, Crown Prince of Jordan
birth of
at King’s Academy
and line of succession
and Pope Benedict visit
relationship with Hussein (King)
Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca
Great Arab Revolt
sons of
Hussein bin Talal, King of Jordan Arab Summit (1967)
and Assad
assassination attempts on
cancer, actions during illness
Our Last Best Chance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril Page 36