If we look at the background of 52-year-old King Abdullah, we might
think that he would consider responding to these pressures with some
variant of the DPM formula that he knows so well thanks to his extensive
personal and educational ties with Britain and the United States. In
interviews he is dismissive of “absolute monarchies,” though he remains
free to fire prime ministers and can dissolve the partly elected National
Assembly as he sees fit. In 2011, he wrote: “Jordan’s future dictates
that we move forward with democratization to ensure that all Jordanians
feel they have a larger say in their government.” Yet he quickly cited
as a barrier to such progress “the terrible regional situation, which often
poses challenges that make security and stability the priorities.