King Hussein's illness is mirrored in the failing health of Syria's President Assad, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd and PLO leader Yasser Arafat. "Turbulent or not, the regional leadership turnover will mean trouble for the U.S.," says Waller. "Progress on peace and containing Iraq may be more difficult if new leaders can't match the political skills of their predecessors." After all, they may not have achieved a lasting peace, but the current leaders have for decades managed to avoid all-out war.
U.S. Sounds Out Jordan's New Leader
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Jordan's lightning switch in leadership marks the beginning of a generational turnover in the Middle East -- and that could cause problems for the U.S. Madeleine Albright flew to Amman Wednesday for talks with Crown Prince Abdullah, the newly appointed heir to Jordan's throne who has been left in charge while King Hussein returns for further cancer treatment in the U.S. While Abdullah is expected to continue his father's support for the peace process with Israel and for U.S. policy on Iraq, the 37-year-old military officer's political skills are untested. "Jordan has a poor economy, a fractured society and troublesome neighbors," says TIME correspondent Douglas Waller. "Abdullah has yet to demonstrate the political skills necessary for the remarkable balancing act that kept the king in power."