The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a relatively young, politically liberal Arab state in the Middle East. Once the home of ancient biblical kingdoms and outpost of several powerful foreign empires, Jordan fell under Ottoman Empire control in 1516, where it remained until the British took over governorship at the end of World War I. In 1946, Jordan won its independence, establishing a constitutional monarchy under the rule of King Abdullah I.

From 1953 until 1999, Jordan was governed by Abdullah Is grandson King Hussein, who sought to maintain a political balancing act between the many countries and territories that Jordan borders Israel, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the West Bank. During this time, Husseins government often clashed with Jordans large Palestinian population, many of whom resented his annexation of the West Bank in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and refusal to fight for an independent Palestinian state. Concurrently, Hussein also traded hostilities with Israel, culminating in the 1967 Six-Day War in which Jordan lost its claim to the West Bank. In 1994, Hussein signed a peace treaty with Israel, officially ending the war between the two countries.

Husseins son Abdullah II, who took the throne in 1999 after his fathers death, has pledged to work toward a more open government and to ease restrictions on public expression that were tamped down during Husseins long reign. During the 2010-12 Arab Spring, Abdullah II responded to protesters in capital of Amman and elsewhere by putting into place modest democratic reforms, bypassing the violent upheavals that toppled other rulers in neighboring countries. Abdullah IIs government, following the nations pro-Western foreign policy and international peace efforts, continues to be a key ally to the United States and, in 2013, welcomed news that Jordan was elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Since the start of Syrias civil war in 2011, Abdullahs government has also struggled with massive influx of Syrian refugees, who have strained Jordans already limited resources.

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Jordan - The New York Times