Will newly appointed King Abdullah be able to fill the rather sizable void left by his father?
Jordan's King Hussein, 63, a towering figure in modern Middle East history, died Sunday from complications caused by lymphatic cancer. His wife, American born Queen Noor, was at his side. The popular monarch's body rejected two emergency bone marrow transplants Monday and Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic. He then left the United States to die in his homeland.One of Hussein's last acts was to replace his brother Hassan with his oldest son, Abdullah, a general in the Jordanian army, as crown prince and heir to the throne.
Understandably, Washington, Israel and other Middle East countries are wary about what happens in Jordan now. The initial feeling is that the succession will be a smooth one. Abdullah's political views remain largely unknown, but aides say he shares his father's pro-western outlook. Hopefully he also shares the same statesmanship skills.
Hussein was one of the few major figures in the Middle East respected by both Arab and Jew, and, of course, by the West. By failing to take a hard line stance against Israel, he became the target of various assassination attempts. He also thwarted three coup attempts -- in 1957, 1959 and 1972.
He was a man who understood that the future of the Middle East required peace and not war. Not since Egypt's Anwar Sadat has there been an Arab leader who recognized -- as Hussein did -- the importance of forging ties with Israel. He did so officially with the 1994 peace treaty.
It was through his leadership that Jordan received more prestige and prominence than its population, wealth or strength might merit.
As Taher Masri, a former Jordanian prime minister noted, "He worked hard to build a nation, and he secured a very important role for Jordan and for himself. The credibility and the image of Jordan in the Arab world has changed dramatically."
We hope the positive changes initiated by Hussein continue.