Introduction

The importance of the Arab-Israeli conflict is reflected by the relatively large number of articles devoted to it in this volume. The book discusses the contribution of extra-regional influences to Jordan's regional position. Thus, most of the articles in the book deal with all or part of the 40 years between the congress of Jericho in December 1948 and Hussein's speech in Amman in July 1988. Since the articles in the book were concluded well before the 1991 Gulf War, the unique role played by Jordan during the crisis. In this later time-frame, Hashemite rule was contested by three major factors: the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, economic decline, and, to a lesser extent, the Palestinian challenge. All three were familiar terrain to the king and the government; they constituted potent problems throughout the period covered in the book. Jordan's pivotal position was also enhanced by the fragmentation and competition within the inter-Arab system.