Philip Robins is Professor of Middle East Politics and Faculty Fellow at St Antony's College, University of Oxford. He was a founding member of the Middle East Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Bosphorus University, Istanbul. A specialist on the modern Middle East, he is the author of The Middle East: A Beginners' Guide (2009), The Role, Position and Agency of Cusp States in International Relations (2014) and the recent monograph Middle East Drugs Bazaar: Production, Prevention and Consumption (2016).

'Robins … arguably knows more about Jordan than anyone in the West, and this second edition of his history of the kingdom is as authoritative and informative as the first. No other volume begins to capture the country as well as this one … Essential.' P. Clawson, Choice

• Introduction; 1. On the edge of empire; 2. Founding state and regime; 3. The long road to independence; 4. Loss of innocence; 5. The roaring fifties; 6. The road to disaster; 7. Illusions of progress; 8. Hussein's choices; 9. Abdullah's governance debate at home; 10. International relations under Abdullah; Conclusion: Jordan: still a politely run authoritarian state.

Philip Robins is Professor of Middle East Politics and Faculty Fellow at St Antony's College, University of Oxford. He was a founding member of the Middle East Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Bosphorus University, Istanbul. A specialist on the modern Middle East, he is the author of The Middle East: A Beginners' Guide (2009), The Role, Position and Agency of Cusp States in International Relations (2014) and the recent monograph Middle East Drugs Bazaar: Production, Prevention and Consumption (2016).

'Robins … arguably knows more about Jordan than anyone in the West, and this second edition of his history of the kingdom is as authoritative and informative as the first. No other volume begins to capture the country as well as this one … Essential.' P. Clawson, Choice

• Introduction; 1. On the edge of empire; 2. Founding state and regime; 3. The long road to independence; 4. Loss of innocence; 5. The roaring fifties; 6. The road to disaster; 7. Illusions of progress; 8. Hussein's choices; 9. Abdullah's governance debate at home; 10. International relations under Abdullah; Conclusion: Jordan: still a politely run authoritarian state.

Philip Robins is Professor of Middle East Politics and Faculty Fellow at St Antony's College, University of Oxford. He was a founding member of the Middle East Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Bosphorus University, Istanbul. A specialist on the modern Middle East, he is the author of The Middle East: A Beginners' Guide (2009), The Role, Position and Agency of Cusp States in International Relations (2014) and the recent monograph Middle East Drugs Bazaar: Production, Prevention and Consumption (2016).

'Robins … arguably knows more about Jordan than anyone in the West, and this second edition of his history of the kingdom is as authoritative and informative as the first. No other volume begins to capture the country as well as this one … Essential.' P. Clawson, Choice

• Introduction; 1. On the edge of empire; 2. Founding state and regime; 3. The long road to independence; 4. Loss of innocence; 5. The roaring fifties; 6. The road to disaster; 7. Illusions of progress; 8. Hussein's choices; 9. Abdullah's governance debate at home; 10. International relations under Abdullah; Conclusion: Jordan: still a politely run authoritarian state.