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. 

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.