Politics, the Military and National Security in Jordan, 1955-1967 (St Antony's Series)

Using new archival material, Lawrence Tal examines how Jordan remained stable during the volatile period between 1955 and 1967. Tal asserts that Jordan's security was due primarily to the cohesion of its National Security Establishment, a ruling coalition of security and foreign policy professionals that included the monarchy, the political elite, and the military. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 List of Illustrations......Page 9 Notes on Transliteration and Usage......Page 10 Acknowledgements......Page 11 Introduction......Page 12 List of Abbreviations......Page 16 Map of Jordan......Page 17 The national security problem in Jordan......Page 18 The setting for national security policy......Page 19 Jordan's regional predicament: a tough neighbourhood......Page 22 The domestic environment......Page 24 Jordan's national security establishment......Page 27 The monarchy......Page 28 The political elite......Page 31 The military......Page 33 Conclusion......Page 35 The Baghdad Pact......Page 37 Jordan's 'British ruler'......Page 38 The dawning of a new era......Page 42 A 'Glubbless' Jordan......Page 43 Cohesion lost: Arabisation......Page 47 The Suez affair......Page 51 Conclusion......Page 54 Jordan's first free parliamentary elections......Page 55 Suleiman al-Nabulsi: Jordan's Kerensky?......Page 56 The foreign aid controversy......Page 57 The royalists retaliate......Page 59 Al-Nabulsi counterattacks......Page 60 Showdown at al-Zarqa......Page 61 Was there a coup planned?......Page 63 The left's golden moment......Page 66 Cohesion restored: the royalist consolidation......Page 68 Conclusion......Page 70 The Arab Cold War......Page 71 Reactions to the AU......Page 73 Plans for a coup d'état......Page 74 The Iraqi revolution......Page 75 Requesting Western assistance......Page 77 Operation Fortitude......Page 79 The royalists strike back......Page 80 UN intervention......Page 82 Conclusion......Page 83 'Marketing' Jordan in Washington......Page 84 The last coup attempt......Page 86 The Hazza` al-Majali administration......Page 89 The 'Third Force' concept......Page 90 Western versus Jordanian concepts of security......Page 92 Reforms enter the security equation......Page 93 The assassination of Hazza` al-Majali......Page 94 Easing tensions with the UAR......Page 97 Playing the military card......Page 98 The collapse of the UAR......Page 102 Conclusion......Page 103 'The birth of modern Jordan'......Page 104 The White Paper on Palestine......Page 106 Rival security policies......Page 107 The controversial Yemen policy......Page 108 The April 1963 riots......Page 110 The Israeli factor......Page 112 Rapprochement with Egypt......Page 113 Conclusion......Page 114 The first Arab summit......Page 115 The challenge of the PLO......Page 116 The Palestine conference......Page 117 Jordanian views on the PLO......Page 118 The pro-Egypt camp returns......Page 119 Dissension in the national security establishment......Page 120 The emergence of al-Fatah......Page 121 Tensions at the Casablanca summit......Page 123 The UAC and the military restructuring......Page 124 Conclusion......Page 125 The al-Sam`u raid......Page 126 The gathering storm......Page 128 The conventional wisdom......Page 129 The alliance with Nasser......Page 130 Placing the army under Egyptian command......Page 132 Abandoning the mobile defence concept......Page 133 The final mistake......Page 134 A catalogue of errors......Page 136 After the storm......Page 137 Conclusion......Page 141 Conclusion......Page 142 Appendix: Biographical Sketches......Page 148 Notes......Page 153 Select Bibliography......Page 186 J......Page 196 S......Page 197 Z......Page 198 Using archival material, Lawrence Tal asserts that Jordan's security between 1955 and 1967 was due primarily to the cohesion of its National Security Establishment, a ruling coalition of security and foreign policy professionals that included the monarchy, the political elite and the military " ... Extremely useful to scholars of recent Middle East history ... "--Ralph Hitchens, The Journal of Military History