What is happening in Jordan. It was a UAE-Saudi-Israeli coup. But Muhammad bin Salman rules by miscalculations. He miscalculated when he invaded Yemen; he miscalculated when he killed Khashoggi; he miscalculated by not ascending to the throne when Trump was president, and now
He miscalculated by arranging for this attempted coup which is not going to receive the support of the Biden administration. Hamzah’s recording all but confirmed the news of the coup attempt and he even declared himself a savior for Jordan. The funny part about Hamzah’s
statement is that he told us that Jordan was once a leader in the region in terms of freedoms. When was that, o Hazah? What decade and which years? Jordan a leader in freedoms? How? Freedoms of the press? Of associations? Of expression? Of political parties? Hamzah was picked by
The triangle of UAE-Saudi-Israeli alliance. There are many reasons for the resentment of the trio: they are not pleased with Jordan and MbZ has been working hard to rearrange Arab politics to fit into the scheme of the trapartite alliance. Furthermore, I won’t discount the role
Of Muhammad bin Rashid who has not forgiven the Jordanian royal family for the affair of Haya’s flight to UK. MbR used to be a frequent visitor to UK and Europe and now he can’t step foot given the anger at his role by British media and public opinion in light of stories of abuse
Of his wife and of his own daughters. The person associated with the coup attempt is Basim `Awadallah (a classmate from Georgetown years) who has been close to MbS for many years. There is nervousness in Jordan but my sense is that despite wide opposition to the corruption and
Rule of Abu Husayn, people may rally around him if more evidence is presented about a role for MbS. I have sensed that already: resentment at the impudence of MbS and his heavy-handed intervention in Jordanian affairs. Jordan just signed a defense treaty with the US and it is
Certain that the Biden administration will stand with King Abdullah. Personally, in squabbles and feuds and plots between royal families I always side with... Ghassan Kanafani. This is a major feud between royals since the Qatari-Saudi rift fo the 1990s. I doubt that Abdullah
Will dare name MbS as a culprit. But Hamzah has not helped his case in the video: and why in English if he is addressing the people of Jordan.
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