Jordan: Our Last Best Chance by King Abdullah II (from Diplomatica’s ‘Great Reads from Around the World’)

Great Reads from Around the World

I’m making my way through the Great Reads from Around the World list on DiplomaticaGlobal.com, a list curated by each country’s embassy in Washington, D.C. Looking at it just now, I can see that the list has grown in the last few weeks! That’s exciting! But for this month, I have chosen to focus on Jordan.

Jordan

Jordan is a country that I’ve always been drawn to. If you’re not sure where it is, it shares borders with Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Not only does it boast incredible historic sites like Petra, Wadi Rum, and various famous biblical locations, but it’s also one of the more moderate Arab countries of the Middle East. Its leaders often act as go-betweens in peace talks between its more volatile neighbours.

One of the books recommended by Jordan’s embassy for Diplomatica’s list is Our Last Best Chance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril. This memoir by Jordan’s king focuses on Jordan’s role in peace talks between Israel and the Arab world. When I saw it on the list, I couldn’t wait to read it and learn more about the Jordanian perspective.

What I learned

Bearing in mind that this is a memoir and very much sticks to King Abdullah II’s perspective, I found this a compulsively readable and helpfully informative analysis of the roller coaster that is international relations in the Middle East. The King has been instrumental in putting together several peace proposals over the years, and it’s interesting to read his detailed accounts of how and why each one has failed. He wrote this book in 2010, and he correctly predicted the way the Israel/Palestine conflict would deteriorate in the following years. But I think he also correctly predicted that the two-state solution is the only thing that could end hostilities. Who knows if we will ever see such an agreement in our lifetimes.

It’s clear that the King was writing for a Western audience. He includes lots of history of the Middle East that his own people wouldn’t need but that Westerners desperately do. We’re always told that these skirmishes in Middle Eastern nations are happening, but it’s rarely explained to us why. This book gets to the core of each issue.

However, this book isn’t all about politics. There are plenty of anecdotes from King Abdullah II’s life to keep the history and sociology lessons from becoming monotonous. I especially enjoyed his Steven Spielberg story. And his father’s Lawrence of Arabia connection!

Final thoughts

Overall, I learned that Jordan is ruled by a compassionate, intelligent, humble man who longs for peace and equality in the Middle East. He wrote this book to dispel myths that persist in the West about Middle Eastern nations, and I think he did a beautiful job of that. He pleads the case of the Palestinians as well as of the innocent civilians of Iraq and Iran, who tend to be lumped together in the West with their extremist countrymen. These are real, ordinary humans, not acceptable losses in wars that should never have started.

There are times when he might come across as dismissive towards the Israeli perspective, but I found it understandable that he wouldn’t really address their side. He’s been dealing closely with Israeli leaders longer than anyone, so he’s well aware of their position, but he also knows that his Western readers are more familiar with the Israeli side of events. As a counter to the usual Western perspective on Middle Eastern relations, though, this book is a great resource. And King Abdullah II has a fun sense of humour that comes across in his storytelling. I was tempted to assume that the Jordanian embassy recommended this book simply because it was written by their king. Now I know that it’s a legitimately Great Read. I highly recommend it!

If you’re interested, you can buy Our Last Best Chance here on Bookshop.org.*
*As an affiliate, I’ll get a small commission from any purchase made through this link. And so will your local independent bookstore! All at no additional expense to you. Thanks for helping me keep the lights on around here. 😊