Abdullah II, Abdullah ibn Hussein (1962– )

King of Jordan from 1999. Abdullah was crowned king of Jordan after his father, Hussein ibn Talal, who had ruled the Hashemite Kingdom since 1952, died. Abdullah, who was an army major general, and untested in the affairs of state, became the fourth leader of this small but strategically vital state. He promised to maintain Hussein's legacy, continuing the course of moderation and commitment to Middle East peace.

In January 1999, the ailing King Hussein named Abdullah crown prince, replacing his brother, Hassan, who had held the post for 34 years. Abdullah had earlier been named crown prince soon after his birth, but was replaced by his uncle in 1965 because Hussein wanted an adult to help run the affairs of state. The shift back to Abdullah brought hints of discord within the royal court, and raised questions about whether King Abdullah would be capable of meeting the challenges of leadership in a country with economic troubles and volatile neighbours.

Abdullah's transition was smooth because of his power base in the army, made up largely of Bedouins who form the bedrock of support for the royal family. He also enjoyed support from Jordan's predominantly Palestinian population because his wife, Princess Rania, is a Palestinian from the West Bank, although born in Kuwait. As crown prince he named his half-brother Hamzeh, the eldest son of his father's fourth wife Queen Noor. This gesture solidified ranks within the royal family. But in November 2004 he removed the title from Hamzeh.

Prior to 1999, Abdullah had shown little ambition outside the army. As a major general, he commanded an elite commando unit in charge of internal security and the royal family's safety. Although Abdullah was King Hussein's oldest son and therefore the logical choice as successor, his background was not the usual one for an Arab leader. The son of Hussein's second wife, Englishwoman Toni Gardiner (Princess Muna), Abdullah was educated in England and the USA, studying at Oxford and Georgetown universities. His English was reported to be better than his formal Arabic. His upbringing gave him a liberal outlook similar to that of his father, and he backed Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

Under Abdullah, Jordan continued to strongly support the Middle East peace process. The economy prospered, as foreign investment was attracted to the country. He continued a crackdown on the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas from 1999.

Abdullah trained, like his father, at the British military academy at Sandhurst. He subsequently served in the British Army in West Germany and Britain. In the Jordanian army, he was part of the Special Forces, which helped quell riots over soaring bread prices in 1996. He became major general in 1998.