King Hussein and the Challenge of Arab Radicalism: Jordan, 1955-1967

by Uriel Dann

Overview

When the young Hussein became the King of Jordan in 1953, conventional wisdom held that his days were numbered. As the embodiment of the socially conservative, pro-Western Jordanian state, he seemed little able to stand up to the rising forces of pan-Arab radicalism. Yet Hussein and the Jordanian monarchy have not only endured, they have thrived, and continue to play a vital role in Middle Eastern politics. Historian Uriel Dann here explores the political history of the formative years of the Jordanian state, uncovering the sources of its durability against forces seeking to fundamentally alter the traditional bases of Arab politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198022183
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/10/1989
Series:	Studies in Middle Eastern History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	389 KB

About the Author

Tel Aviv University and Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies

Table of Contents

	Introduction: The Jordanian Entity	3
I	First Trials
1	Last of the Beaten Track	21
2	Glubb's Ouster and Its Aftermath	31
3	The Nabulsi Interlude	39
II	The Major Test
4	The Crisis of April 1957	55
5	The Military Government	68
6	The Arab Federation	78
7	The Crisis of July 1958	86
III	The Veteran
8	Relaxation	99
9	Fresh Storms and Tense Interludes	108
10	The Breakup of the UAR and After	118
11	Summitry	136
12	In the Sign of the PLO	146
13	The Descent into War	154
	Conclusion	165
	Epilogue	170
	Notes	173
	Name Index	203

Editorial Reviews

"A clear, thoughtful, and persuasive account of the political fortunes of a remarkable contemporary figure in the Middle East."—Choice

"A concise, knowledgeable, judicious, and often witty political history of Jordan."—American Historical Review

"A welcome contribution to the slowly expanding field of Jordanian studies."—Middle East Journal

"Compact and engaging...The first to look seriously at Jordanian political history of the 1950s and 1960s in more than a decade....Calling upon a vast array of sources, Dann offers a thorough, sober, and well-documented account of a slice of Jordanian politics....Dann's account—penetrating and incisive throughout, laced with wit and irony—not only offers much new information but corrects many nagging misperceptions."—Middle East Studies Association Bulletin

"I had no idea what a gripping story this book would unfold....[It] is one of the few comprehensive, readable and full-documented works on the contemporary Arab world I have come across in a long while."—Jerusalem Post

From the Publisher