Overview

Monarchy. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a constitutional monarchy headed by King Abdullah bin al-Hussein al-Hashimi, or King Abdullah II. King Abdullah II, now 58, succeeded his father, King Hussein, who until his death in February 1999 was one of the world's longest surviving monarchs. Hussein ruled Jordan for more than 47 years. Abdullah, a career Army officer and head of the Jordanian Special Forces, was picked over Hussein's brother, Crown Prince Hassan, who had been the...