Jordan’s lack of oil may make Jordanians jealous of their well-off neighbors to the South. However, Jordan’s lack of oil may be a great piece of luck in disguise. Jordan’s economy is far more diverse than that of most oil states. All of Saudi Arabia’s modern cities were built by foreign labor paid for by oil money. Amman was built by Jordanians and the steady if less spectacular gains appear on more solid ground. Although Jordan receives a lot of important foreign aid, most of its advances can be attributed to the hard work of Jordanians—not to happening to find a pot of gold in the desert. Unlike in Saudi Arabia, one does not wonder if the achievements of the country will survive into the eventual post-oil era. Indeed, one Jordanian joked to me that the country’s lack of oil is what makes the people Jordanians rather than Arabs.

The survival of both Jordan and its monarchy owe much to the strategic savvy of its leaders, especially its kings. Jordan attempts to retain cordial, if not always close, relations with its neighbors. Jordanians sympathize deeply with the Palestinian cause. At the same time, the country goes the extra mile to avoid becoming embroiled in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are a series of security checkpoints as one approaches the Jordan valley whose primary purpose is to prevent Palestinians from infiltrating either Jordan or Israel. Jordan does not want Palestinians using Jordan as a base for attacking Israel because of the Israeli reprisals such attacks would bring.

By the standards of the region, Jordan is relatively democratic. It is has an elected parliament, though its electoral districts are gerrymandered to maximize the influence of native Jordanians and minimize the power of Palestinians. In any case, power ultimately rests in the hands of King Abdullah, so the country is not fully democratic in the American sense of the term.

Fortunately, the King appears to care a great deal about the welfare of his people. The Hashemite dynasty’s power does not rest on fear created by a terror apparatus in the manner of Saddam Hussein. Their Majesties the late King Hussein and the current King Abdullah remain highly popular with large sections of the population, especially native Jordanians. Many cars sport pictures of both monarchs. At first I wondered if this was an attempt to avoid traffic tickets in the manner of people in the U.S. who place stickers on their car stating that the support the local sheriff. However, it gradually became clear to me that the pictures resulted more from affection than from fear.

Navigating Jordanian public opinion and the politics of the Middle East is no easy task for Jordan’s monarchs. The U.S. invasion of Iraq is incredibly unpopular here. I have not met a single Jordanian who expressed support or even guarded understanding for the U.S. invasion. The overwhelming impression among the Jordanian people is that the invasion was completely unjustifiable. Moreover, Jordanians believe that the occupation is unraveling and becoming very bloody. Yesterday, a Jordanian driver was kidnapped in Iraq. The war is not so far away here.

Nevertheless, Jordan’s leaders clearly feel that it is imperative both its economy and security to maintain a good relationship with the United States. The country consequently maintains a careful balance. Jordan’s newspapers are filled with criticism of U.S. policy. However, the criticism, at least in the English-language Jordan Post, rarely reaches the hysterical anti-American vitriol found in the press of many other Arab countries.

Jordan’s caution appears to serve it well as it attempts to avoid becoming more involved in the many conflicts of its neighbors. No doubt its leadership would appreciate it more if American policy did not conflict so mightily with Jordanian public opinion, though one cannot imagine any American president allowing this desire to play a major role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. Perhaps one day peace and stability will permit Jordan to make faster economic progress and make the politics of the region a bit less tricky to navigate for the Jordanian government.