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Charlie Rose interviews King Abdullah II @ WEF 2007

A conversation with H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan with Charlie Rose at the World Economic Forum 2007 in Davos, Switzerland.

After assuming the throne in 1999, the politically inexperienced king at the time nearly caused a regional crisis by labeling Iran as the sole cause of instability in the region, to which Iran replied that the "Shah and his cronies are back into politics" (in reference to the courting by his father King Hussein of the Shah).

However Jordan's economy has improved under King Abdullah II, and he has been credited with increasing foreign investment, attending meetings between public and private sectors, and providing the foundation for Aqaba's free trade zone. As a result of these reforms, Jordan's economic growth has doubled to 6% annually under King Abdullah's rule compared to the latter half of the 1990s.

His speech at The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in September 2005 was entitled "Traditional Islam: The Path to Peace." While en route to the United States, King Abdullah met with Pope Benedict XVI to build on the relations that Jordan had established with Pope John Paul II, and to discuss ways in which Muslims and Christians can continue to work together for peace, tolerance, and coexistence. King Abdullah has shown more consistency on economic than political change, handpicking liberals and technocrats to implement market-oriented reforms while sticking to mostly center-right prime ministers to ensure that political opening is on a slower track.

BBC international published an article titled "Jordan edging towards democracy", where King Abdullah expressed his intentions of making Jordan a democratic country. According to the article though, president George W. Bush "urged King Abdullah, a US ally, to take steps towards democracy after being questioned about alleged human rights abuse in Jordan at a Washington news conference".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_II_of_Jordan

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