Our last best chance : the pursuit of peace in a time of peril

SUMMARY: A newsbreaking memoir that tackles head-on the toughest challenge in the world today. When a dying King Hussein shocked the world by picking his son rather than his brother, the longtime crown prince, to be the next king of Jordan, no one was more surprised than the young head of Special Operations, who discovered his life was in for a major upheaval. This is the inspirational story of a young prince who went to boarding school in America and military academy in Britain and grew up believing he would be a soldier. Back home, he hunted down terrorists and modernized Jordan's Special Forces. Then, suddenly, he found himself king. Together with his wife, Queen Rania, he transformed what it meant to be a monarch, going undercover to escape the bubble of the court while she became the Muslim world's most passionate advocate of women's rights. In this exceptionally candid memoir, King Abdullah tackles the single toughest issue he faces head-on- how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian standoff- and reveals himself to be an invaluable intermediary between America and the Arab world. He writes about the impact of the Iraq war on his neighborhood and how best to tackle Iran's nuclear ambitions. Why would a sitting head of state choose to write about the most explosive issues he faces? King Abdullah does so now because he believes we face a moment of truth: a last chance for peace in the Middle East. The prize is enormous, the cost of failure far greater than we dare imagine. SUMMARY: A newsbreaking memoir that tackles head-on the toughest challenge in the world today. When a dying King Hussein shocked the world by picking his son rather than his brother, the longtime crown prince, to be the next king of Jordan, no one was more surprised than the young head of Special Operations, who discovered his life was in for a major upheaval. This is the inspirational story of a young prince who went to boarding school in America and military academy in Britain and grew up believing he would be a soldier. Back home, he hunted down terrorists and modernized Jordan's Special Forces. Then, suddenly, he found himself king. Together with his wife, Queen Rania, he transformed what it meant to be a monarch, going undercover to escape the bubble of the court while she became the Muslim world's most passionate advocate of women's rights. In this exceptionally candid memoir, King Abdullah tackles the single toughest issue he faces head-on- how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian standoff- and reveals himself to be an invaluable intermediary between America and the Arab world. He writes about the impact of the Iraq war on his neighborhood and how best to tackle Iran's nuclear ambitions. Why would a sitting head of state choose to write about the most explosive issues he faces? King Abdullah does so now because he believes we face a moment of truth: a last chance for peace in the Middle East. The prize is enormous, the cost of failure far greater than we dare imagine. Fiction,History,General,Biography & Autobiography,Political Science,Political,International Relations,Diplomacy,Peace-building,Peace,Arab-Israeli conflict,Royalty,Jordan,Middle East,1993- The Eldest Son Of Jordan's King Hussein, The Author Had Not Expected To Ascend To The Throne; His Father's Brother Had Long Been Crown Prince. But He Was Chosen By The King On His Deathbed. Both A Memoir And A Frank Discussion Of How To Solve Problems In The Middle East. Preface -- Part 1: -- 1: Conflict Begins -- 2: 1967 War -- 3: Dark Clouds Over Amman -- 4: Arriving In America -- Part 2: -- 5: Sandhurst -- 6: Qatraneh Nights -- 7: Secret Mission -- 8: You Guys Don't Stand A Chance -- 9: Royal Wedding -- 10: Lessons In Diplomacy -- 11: Very Special Operations -- Part 3: -- 12: In The Footsteps Of A Legend -- 13: Becoming King -- 14: Friends And Neighbors -- 15: Transforming Jordan -- 16: Desert Deerfield -- Part 4: -- 17: Jerusalem At The Heart Of Conflict -- 18: Seeking Peace, Getting War -- 19: War In The Desert -- 20: We Will Be Greeted As Liberators -- Part 5: -- 21: My Islam -- 22: Jordan's 9/11 -- 23: Amman Message -- Part 6: -- 24: End Of An Era -- 25: Mask Slips -- 26: New Voice From America -- 27: Fortress Israel Or A Fifty-seven-state Solution? -- Acknowledgments -- Index. King Abdullah Ii. Includes Index.