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Jordan's King Steers through Mideast Turbulence, Hoping to Survive
(AP-Washington Post) The foiling of a planned al-Qaeda terror plot in Jordan underscores how things are heating up for King Abdullah II, a Western-oriented monarch. The king, a key U.S. ally, has been working overtime to fend off a host of domestic challenges including a Muslim Brotherhood boycott of parliamentary elections, increasing opposition from his traditional Bedouin allies, and the Syrian civil war spilling over the border. So far, Abdullah has largely maintained control, partly by relinquishing some of his powers to parliament and amending the country's constitution. His Western-trained security forces have been able to keep protests from getting out of hand. And most in the opposition remain loyal to the king, pressing for reforms but not his removal.