Michael Masserman Full Role Title And Full Role Name Section 008 Crown Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Hassan ibn Talal Full Title of Country The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Date of Birth 1947 Short and Meaningful Quotation "In a situation where, God knows, I might be dead in two months, I believe in evolution, in a situation where a gentlemanNarrative Section: Background and biographical Information My name is Hassan ibn Talal, and I was born in Amman, Jordan in 1947. My grandfather was Abdullah ibn Hussein, who was the Emir of Transjordan until 1946, and the King of Jordan until 1951. My father was Talal, who was the son of Abdullah, and he was the King of Jordan from 1951-1952. He was desposed in 1952 after being declared mentally ill by the Jordanian Parliament. He spent the rest of his life in a mental institution in turkey and died in 1975. In 1952, Talal was succeeded by my brother H.M. Hussein ibn Talal, who is the current king of Jordan. I am the current heir to my brothers throne. I was chosen over my other older brother and over King Hussein Twenty five years ago, when I was 18 years old, I was confirmed by my nationDiscussion of Political Views I a man who has taken firm stands for peace in the Middle East. I have spoken out many times against the dangers that radicalism has on the peace process in the Middle East. Since the Jordanian Civil War in 1970 with the PLO, I have come to realize that radicalism only causes more problems than solutions. I do however, sympathize with the plight of the Palestinians since they have had to deal with so much strife in the past. I myself have witnessed numerous occasions where there have been missed opportunities for peace in the Middle East.(Federal News Servic, 1989) I believe in the peace compromise regardless of who was on the land first. I think that if everyone simply claimed that they have the sole right to the land that peace will never be, and would never have been achieved. I believe in the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war, and I believe and have always believed that it should be used in the occupied territories. This feeling has emerged since after the 1967 War when Israel took over the West Bank. I used to feel that Israel was never willing to compromise and negotiate; but after an International conference in 1989, and the current signing of the "Washington Declaration" in 1994 which pledged peace between Israel and Jordan, I feel that Israel has done a lot for the peace process. I also feel that the United States needs to remain a key participant in the peace talks if anything will get accomplished. I think that my political views stem from my countries history and the events that it has gone through. I feel that since more countries have been advocating peace that my feelings have strengthened as well, and at this moment in time I see my views as steadfast. I am a supporter of western idealism, and want to legitimize a monarchy as a Jordanian political institution with new political environments being developed by the national charters. I do however feel that bounded democracy is needed in order to maintain the traditions of the monarchy. In my other political views, I have been urging Arab states to exploit their financial manpower and water resources, and increase agricultural production with technology.(Xinhua, 1984) I want to make sure that the precious water in the Middle East is used cautiously. I also have a firm belief that peace leads to economic cooperation, which in turn leads to the benefits of promoting economic and social development within nations. Political Allies and Opponents My main political opponent internally is that I am challenged by the Islamist party in Jordan. We have a very strong monarchy, and I , as well as my brother King Hussein, are very well respected for our domestic and foreign politics. Actors Greatest Contributions I feel that holding the Jordanian kingdom together with diverging interests and with many people against us has been a major accomplishment. I feel that my promoting of economics through science and technology in Jordan as well as my ideas for social development through education have also been very effective. I mediated various peace conferences and won the Golden Peace Prize with my brother. I simply feel that my heading various domestic committees and aiding the development of Jordan has been my most rewarding contribution in politics. Foreign Policy Positions Our two main and most important allies at the present time are Israel and the United States. We have always been in conflict with Israel ever since the Independence War, when Jordan was inundated with Palestinian refugees, and after the 1967 war when Israel took over the West Bank. After the "Washington Declaration" however, our ties with Israel have been based on peace. This alliance with Israel is not only based on peace however, it is based on Israel respecting the rights of the Palestinians and the United States providing money to us. Our other main allie is the United States, which was really involved with Jordan until 1970 when we sighed the Rogers Peace Plan. After the Gulf War, in which Jordan stayed neutral (thus not supporting the U.S.), economic aid was stopped. It later went back up and has been a crucial part of the peace talks. The relationship that we have with the United States and Israel may change within the next few years based on the willingness of Israel to negotiate with other Arab nations and the amount of economic aid that we receive from the United States. The PLO has been on bad terms with since the 1970 Civil War when Jordan kicked the PLO out. There has been the competition with Palestinians since 60% of Jordan is Palestinian. We used to not want to negotiate on behalf of the PLO, but presently, we are working towards peace with everybody. We have even given the West Bank over to PLO control and in this year, we will hand over the trusteeship of the holy sites to the Palestinian authority. So through years of competing rights with representing Palestinians in the West Bank, we now believe in a just and lasting peace. Jordan used to be tight allies with Saudi Arabia and Iraq; however after the Gulf War in which we remained neutral in order to not get more Palestinian refugees from Iraq, the ties were crushed. Our ties with Saudi Arabia have been getting better, but there are still hostilities with Iraq because of the embargo they put on us in 1991. We have always had bad ties wit Syria, but most recently it has stemmed from our position in the Gulf War and because of our supporting of Iraq during the Iraq-Iran War (Syria supported Iran). Our ties with Syria would definitely improve if they created peace with Israel. Our foreign relations with our opponents fluctuates based upon peace, wars, and economic aid. Short Character I am a thinker and a very intelligent man. I am very pragmatic and practical, and I know what is best for Jordan. I am able to compromise well, and am a good diplomat because I have been educated so well in English. Quotes "We have to resolve this issue of political participation regardless of the place of birth of a grandfather or even a father.(U.S. News and World Report, 1991)" "Jordan will only yield its sovereignty over the West Bank of the Jordan River and over Jerusalem to an Arab sovereignty.(APS Diplomat Recorder, 1994)" Works Cited Gubser, Peter, Jordan-Crossroads of Middle Eastern Events, Croom Helm Ltd., London, 1983. Peretz, Don, The Middle East Today, Praeger Publishers, New York, 1983. Federal News Service, September 12, 1989. The Xinhua General Overseas News Service, March 28, 1983; September 24, 1984; November 8, 1986. Arab Press Service Organization, November 5, 1994. The Middle East Defense News, Copyright 1992 Defense News. U.S. News and World Report, January 21, 1991. 1990 IBC International Risk Guide, May, 1990. APS Diplomat Recorder, July 30, 1994.