Pressure on Jordan
Jordan's three main neighbours—Iraq, Syria and Israel—all have a very clear idea of the sort of State they think Jordan ought to be; unfortunately their ideas do not coincide with each other, and are by no means the same as most Jordanians' ideas about their own destinies. Syria would like to keep Jordan independent, neither tied up with Iraq nor at peace with Israel. Iraq would like the dynastic bonds which unite her with Jordan to blossom into some political union. Israel wishes to secure normal neighbourly relations with Jordan, which require that peace should first he established. And in the background there is always Egypt, which periodically sends emissaries to Jordan to find out what she is doing and tell her to stop. Subjected as she is to these divergent strains, Jordan can ill afford her present dynastic troubles. The serious illness of King Talal gives an opportunity for international as well as palace intrigue, which will require all the skill of Jordan's political leaders to overcome. When King Abdullah was murdered last year one of the complications which had to be reckoned with was the knowledge that the health of his eldest son was poor. It was, however, decided that there was not sufficient grounds for alter-* ing the agreed succession, and Talal succeeded to the throne without dispute. His health has now deteriorated to such an extent that his virtual deposition seems to have become essen- tial. It remains to be seen, however, whether the succession can pass peacefully to his eldest son, Prince Hussein, who is still a minor, or whether interested forces inside or outside Jordan's borders will try to make use of the present crisis to impose their own solutions.
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