Abdullah II

Abdullah II (äbdl`lä), 1962–, king of Jordan (1999–), b. Amman, educated at Sandhurst and Oxford in England and Georgetown Univ., Washington, D.C. He joined (1984) the Jordanian military, rose swiftly, became (1994) head of Jordan's Special Forces, and attained (1998) the rank of major general. He succeeded to the crown upon the death of his father, Hussein I, whose moderate policies he has continued. Abdullah has attempted to improve Jordan's flagging economy and has supported an independent Palestinian state while maintaining relatively cordial relations with Israel. He has continued Jordan's status as an American ally, but pressed for a peaceful solution to the looming 2003 war with Iraq. Allowing a few hundred U.S. troops to operate antimissile batteries in E Jordan, he refused to permit any other Jordanian military participation in the conflict.