Biography: Hussein of Jordan | King of Jordan. Son of King Talal I and grandson of Abdullah ibn Hussein.

(Husayn or Hussein I of Jordan; Amman, Jordan, 1935 - ID, 1999) King of Jordan. Son of King Talal I and grandson of Abdullah ibn Hussein, was educated in the United Kingdom. In 1952 he ascended the throne of Jordan after the abdication of his father; the beginning of his reign was marked by his nationalism. Faced with the pan-Arabism of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, was the subject of numerous plots and attacks, but, finally, he agreed to ally themselves with Egypt and Syria in 1967.

Hussein of Jordan

The war of six days (1967), between Egypt, Jordan and Syria against Israel, ended with a tough defeat against the Israelis, the loss of the West Bank and the consequent establishment on Jordanian soil of Palestinian groups. The challenge to his authority by the Palestinian guerrillas forced him to send them to the army in the so-called "Black September" in 1970. Since then he approached politically to the United States, sought peace with Israel and blocked political reform, while at the end of the eighties proceeded to democratize and share power: powers to the Prime Minister and renewal of the Parliamentary Assembly (1989).

Despite being ally of the United States, Hussein of Jordan agreed to lend their support to the claims of the PLO on the occupied territories, and stood on the side of Saddam Hussein during the war in the Gulf (1990-1991), aware that this was the will of his people. But although popular pressure and ties with the PLO forced him to adopt a proiraqui position, he tried to unsuccessfully a diplomatic solution to the conflict, and at the outbreak of war avoided a direct confrontation with Western powers.

After the Gulf war, Hussein took part in the signing of the peace accords between Israel and the PLO in 1993. In 1994 he signed a peace agreement and economic cooperation with Israel, and was one of the main supporters of the dialogue in the region until his death. His son Abdullah II succeeded him. By their ability to navigate between two waters in the most difficult situations, which were not few in his more than forty-year reign, Hussein of Jordan was defined as "the great survivor" politicians in the Middle East.

Extracted from the website: Biografías y Vidas