Book Talk | The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan
How has Abdullah’s relationship with the U.S. both facilitated his political longevity and undermined his legitimacy amid Jordan’s dismal economy and neighboring turmoil?
In his fascinating new book, “The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan” former Amman-based journalist Aaron Magid unpacks how Abdullah’s close ties to Washington have influenced his decision-making. Magid details Abdullah’s personal ties with the United States: he attended high school in Massachusetts, trained with the U.S. Army in Kentucky, and even appeared on a Star Trek episode. While the Hashemite ruler has frequently been lauded in the West, Magid explains how some of Abdullah’s decisions provoked controversy domestically. Abdullah approved Jordan’s Air Force downing Iranian missiles fired at Israel last year, but the decision angered some Jordanians as the Gaza death toll climbed ever higher. Over two decades earlier, Abdullah agreed to host U.S. troops in Jordan and to provide Washington with overflight rights ahead of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In conversation with Annelle Sheline, research fellow at the Quincy Institute, this talk will focus on why Abdullah often prioritizes decisions that will please Washington rather than his own population, how this mirrors dynamics in other Arab security partners, and how Washington may be making a bad bet on the logic of authoritarian stability.
The conversation will take place on Thursday, July 10, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern Time.
Program
Countries/Territories
Entities
Panelists
Aaron Magid
Aaron Magid is a former Amman-based journalist. His articles on the Hashemite Kingdom have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, the Atlantic Council, and the Middle East Institute. He also hosts the podcast On Jordan. The Brookings Institution previously selected him for its inaugural Middle East Policy Future Leaders Symposium. He obtained a Master's Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University.
Annelle Sheline
Annelle Sheline is a research fellow in the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute. She previously served as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor’s Office of Near Eastern Affairs (DRL/NEA), before resigning in March 2024 in protest over the Biden administration’s Gaza policy. She is a senior non-resident fellow at the Arab Center of Washington DC and a non-resident fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. She holds a PhD in political science from George Washington University.