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Few people in the Middle East think young King Hussein can teeter long on his fraying rope. Already a group claiming to represent the Palestinians has served an ultimatum demanding that Hussein 1) accept the proffered aid from the Egyptian-Saudi-Syrian bloc in place of British help, 2) purge the Legion not only of all British officers but of all pro-British Arab officers. If Hussein yields he will alienate his rich Hashemite Cous in Feisal in Iraq, make himself dependent on the uncertain largesse of his ancient enemies, the Sauds. But if he cleaves to the British or fails to press the case against Israel, the refugees and perhaps the Legion itself will turn against him. The Israelis predict that Jordan will end by being divided among Saudi Arabia, Syria, and an Arab Palestine ruled by a Nasser puppet. Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett says flatly: "It is logical to suppose that Hussein's future lies with Glubb's in the wilderness."
If Hussein is to retain his throne, the first imperative is a settlement of the Israel-Arab dispute, something that the best efforts of the free world have notably failed to achieve. Ultimately, the forces that will determine the future of Hussein's arid kingdom lie outside and beyond Hussein's control. The new tide of Arab nationalism rampages through the Middle East from Tangiers to Iraq. Not only Hussein but also the West has somehow to come to terms with it. Until this is done, neither Hussein nor the West will be secure.