This book uncovers the true force behind most of the political processes in the Middle East over almost half a century. Through constant confrontations and negotiations with Israel and the Palestinians, under the watchful eye of the United States, the King managed to create a new Middle Eastern nation-state: the Jordanian country and its people. The focus of the book is Hussein's deep concern for the future of the last Hashemite monarchy, together with his own set of personal and ideological convictions, as they impacted on many of his strategic decisions and their contribution to the formation of present-day Jordan.