Jordan: Revolt in The Desert

As Jordan's King Hussein discussed the prospects for Arab-Israeli peace with George Bush in Washington last week, life was decidedly less than peaceful in the monarch's desert realm. The trouble started in the southern town of Ma'an when thousands of demonstrators attacked government office buildings and burned banks to protest increases in the price of food, gasoline and other goods. The riots quickly spread to other southern towns and then to the northern city of Salt. Hussein's brother Crown Prince Hassan, whose car was pelted with stones when he visited Ma'an, blamed Islamic fundamentalists for exploiting the unrest. At least eight people had been killed, apparently all of them civilians.
The disturbances shocked many Jordanians, whose country has been remarkably stable for nearly two decades in spite of its precarious geographical location. Outwardly the protesters focused their anger on Prime Minister Zaid Rifai, chanting, "This man must resign, or we will burn the country!"
Leaving the U.S., Hussein canceled a visit to Britain and returned home. He had cause for concern. Like Hussein, most of the rioters were Bedouins and thus had been considered his most loyal subjects.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957586,00.html#ixzz1NwoZEUi3Jordan: Revolt in The Desert