Editing Abdullah II of Jordan (section)

===First year===
As king, Abdullah retains wider executive and legislative authority than is normally the case for a [[constitutional monarchy|constitutional monarch]]. He is one of the few monarchs in the world who both rules and reigns. He is [[head of state]] and [[commander-in-chief]] of the Jordanian Armed Forces and appoints the [[Prime Minister of Jordan|prime minister]] and the directors of security agencies.<ref name="freedom-2013">{{cite web|url=http://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2013/jordan|title=Jordan|work=[[Freedom in the World]]|publisher=[[Freedom House]]|year=2012|access-date=16 June 2016|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619221348/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2013/jordan|archive-date=19 June 2016}}</ref> The prime minister is free to choose his [[Cabinet of Jordan|cabinet]].<ref name=euroforum /> The [[Parliament of Jordan]] consists of [[Bicameralism|two chambers]]: the appointed [[Senate of Jordan|Senate]] and the elected [[House of Representatives of Jordan|House of Representatives]], which serve as a check on the government. However, according to [[Freedom House]], most seats in the House are held by pro-palace independents, and the crown's authority is such that it is extremely difficult for a party to win power solely via the ballot box.<ref name="freedom-2013" /><ref name=euroforum>{{cite web|url=https://www.europeanforum.net/countries/jordan|title=Jordan|work=European Forum|access-date=10 February 2017|date=1 January 2017|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214002740/https://www.europeanforum.net/countries/jordan|archive-date=14 February 2017}}</ref> The Senate is appointed by the king, and the House of Representatives is [[Direct election|directly elected]].<ref name=euroforum />
[[File:Abdullah II.jpg|thumb|alt=Abdullah shaking hands with former US defense secretary William Cohen outside a limousine|Abdullah welcomed by [[United States Secretary of Defense|US Secretary of Defense]] [[William Cohen]] during his first visit to the United States as king in 1999]]
When Abdullah ascended to the throne as Jordan's fourth king, observers doubted his ability to manage the country's economic crisis—a legacy of the [[Gulf War|1990 Gulf War]].<ref name="theaer" /><ref name="wpkaa" /> The king maintained his father's moderate pro-Western policy, supporting the 1994 [[Israel–Jordan peace treaty]], and the royal transition prompted the United States and [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf]] to increase their aid.<ref name="theaer">{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/node/185928|title=Jordan's new king|date=11 February 1999|access-date=13 February 2017|newspaper=The Economist|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214003036/http://www.economist.com/node/185928|archive-date=14 February 2017}}</ref> In the early years of Abdullah's reign, which then ruled over a population of 4.5 million, it was reported that he frequently went undercover to see Jordan's challenges firsthand.<ref name="wpkaa">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/daily/aug99/jordan9.htm|title=Jordan's Monarch Goes Undercover|first=Lee|last=Hockstader|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=10 February 2017|date=9 August 1999|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909041829/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/daily/aug99/jordan9.htm|archive-date=9 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1114.html|title=Death of a King; Cautious King Took Risks in Straddling Two Worlds|work=The New York Times|access-date=4 January 2018|date=8 February 1999|first=Judith|last=Miller|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216143237/http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1114.html|archive-date=16 December 2017}}</ref> In 2000 he said about his incognito visits to government institutions, "The bureaucrats are terrified. It's great."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/06/magazine/learning-how-to-be-king.html|title=Learning How To Be King|work=The New York Times|first=Jeffery|last=Goldberg|access-date=10 February 2017|date=6 February 2000|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213164921/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/06/magazine/learning-how-to-be-king.html|archive-date=13 February 2017}}</ref>

Abdullah cracked down on the [[Hamas]] presence in Jordan in November 1999 after pleas from the United States, [[Israel]] and the [[Palestinian Authority]].<ref name="jch" /> The crackdown occurred during peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.<ref name="jch" /> The king exiled four Hamas officials to Qatar and barred the group from political activity, closing their offices in Amman.<ref name="jch">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/nov/22/israel|title=Jordan curbs Hamas|work=The Guardian|first=David|last=Hirst|date=27 November 1999|access-date=10 February 2017|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213165951/https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/nov/22/israel|archive-date=13 February 2017}}</ref> The peace talks collapsed into a violent Palestinian uprising, the [[Second Intifada]], in September 2000.<ref name="BBCkaa" /> As a result, Jordan faced dwindling tourism; tourism is an economic cornerstone of Jordan, a country with few natural resources.<ref name="BBCkaa">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1506902.stm|title=Jordan's pragmatic king looks to future|access-date=13 February 2017|date=24 August 2001|publisher=BBC|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214004923/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1506902.stm|archive-date=14 February 2017}}</ref> Abdullah reportedly spearheaded efforts to defuse the political violence.<ref name="bbckap">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1632651.stm|title=King Abdullah Profile|publisher=BBC|access-date=13 February 2017|date=2 November 2001|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730091444/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1632651.stm|archive-date=30 July 2016}}</ref>