Hussein bin Talal left behind a formula for governance that seems utterly simple: Jordan is present everywhere and absent from every Arab dispute. During his reign, King Hussein was exposed to the worst that an official could face, demonstrating an incredible resilience in endurance and perseverance. By the time King Abdullah II came to power, a royal school in the affairs of governance had been fully realized before him.
Jordan is no ordinary country: Jordan is the Jordanian issue, the Palestinian issue, historical sensitivities of the Jordan River and its role as Jerusalem's immediate neighbor and custodian of its holy keys. Abdullah II has sailed through all these accumulating clouds and darkened skies.
For the pilot officer, there is neither a "dilemma" nor conditions. There is only one thing: Jordan.
Thus, the reign of Abdullah II proceeded quietly while most of the Arab world faced various forms of turmoil. Jordan undoubtedly felt a sense of relief being absent from the chaos of breaking news headlines.
This tranquility was shattered last Friday by an evil hand in a crime with multiple objectives and motives.
The horrific attack on the Karak church was deliberately planned in all its details to cause a shock that instills fear in the hearts of Christians, and Jordanians in general.
Striking Jordanian stability in this manner resembles striking the stability of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
This sudden assault threatens to usher in a wave of changes, all of them negative. Who is trying to drag Amman into the fray at this moment?
