1. Jordan’s King’s health is failing badly and rapidly. At the same time, Crown Prince Hussein, heir to the throne, is an unpopular figure whose mother, Queen Rania, is afraid that if her son becomes king, he may end up paying the price of his dad’s sins against the Jordanian people. At the same time, Rania has made sure no other Hashemite could either get or want the job. With the Royal Family morally and economically bankrupt in the eyes of Jordanians, Jordan could be in turmoil and facing a power vacuum when the King either dies or abdicates. The turmoil could lead to an eventual civil war as sides take positions.
The King’s Broken Heart
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2. JaFaJ can confirm King Abdullah’s largest health problem is his heart. The King has weak heart muscles that produce not just an irregular heartbeat, but constant fatigue. These symptoms have intensified for him since last February, even though he has undergone two surgeries in the past 8 years to solve heart problems. Recently, he was advised by an American cardiologist that he will need either a heart transplant or a drastic transformation of his diet and must stop all alcohol consumption.
3. JaFaJ intelligence sources confirm Abdullah is suffering from several other health problems, including those impacting his digestive system and Crohn’s disease. Additionally, decades of alcohol and substance abuse are taking its toll. When this is combined with his family’s history of health problems, it is no wonder that Abdullah has been unwell for a decade now.
4. In addition to his health problems, Abdullah, like many of his family members, has a history of mental health challenges. Abdullah’s grandfather, Talal, was forced to abdicate because of complications of acute schizophrenia. Abdullah’s father – Hussein – suffered from depression for most of his life and began receiving psychiatric help in his twenties when he was diagnosed and prescribed strong anti-depressants. He was medicated until his death in 1999.
5. JaFaJ intelligence has confirmed that Abdullah has been suffering from depression for over a decade and has become dependent on anti-depressants and vast amounts of alcohol. One source with direct exposure to the King’s private life reported that “for the past two years, the king has been drinking heavily, sometimes two bottles of Black Label whiskey a day.”
Why Is it Such a Riddle?
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6. In the Hashemite Kingdom, like most Arab states, the “Leaders health” (King’s) health is considered a state secret, and the King’s propaganda portrays him as some sort of superhero-like figure who can do everything and never gets sick. Therefore, when he sees a foreign doctor, the results are confidential and not shared with the public under the threat of legal pursuit by the Royal Court. Currently, only one Jordanian doctor has direct access to the King – Dr. Rami Farraj, his private doctor. [COMMENT: Dr. Farraj who has been chosen as a keeper of secrets about the King’s health more than anything else. This was also true of Farraj’s father, Sameer, who served as King Hussein’s doctor. END COMMENT]
7. With this shroud of secrecy surrounding the King’s health, JaFaJ can confirm that Abdullah II’s health problems have become acute, and have intensified in the last few months. This has caused a sharp decline in his mental health. Simply put, the world will not learn about Abdullah’s ailing health until he dies or abdicates. That means the world will be taken by surprise, except for those who are prepared.
The Symptoms
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8. JaFaJ can confirm the King’s symptoms and ailments. The King suffers from Dizziness, lack of balance, loss of breath, irregular heartbeats, an inability to sleep despite using a high dosage of sleeping pills, and the lack of “an appetite that is occasionally coupled with throwing up after meals” causing unexplainable weight gains and losses – often fluxuating widely over the course of a month. Additional ailments include blurry vision and forgetfulness beyond any normal rate. His symptoms have become so bad, that the King was evaluated for dementia. The test results came back “negative”.
Rania, the Shaky Mama Bear
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9. Queen Rania, the King’s wife, is reported to have told her family that the King may not be with them in the future. Understandably, Rania wants her son – Hussein – to succeed his father as King. This has been hampered because she has not been able to secure solid American endorsement for it. Therefore, she has taken a different approach and been promoting her son prudently on Jordanian state TV and at events. For example, he recently led the commencement ceremony at Mut’ah Military University. Because of its status, the King historically conducts this task.
10. On one hand, even as the Queen keeps her son in the picture, Rania is not willing to push her son to succeed his father. Rania’s main fear is that he son will reap what his father has sowed – the wrath of angery Jordanian people. [COMMENT: The people’s anger stems from the King’s extreme and lavish lifestyle that has left Jordanians impoverished and the country on the verge of bankruptcy. This lifestyle has led to the opposition calling for toppling the regime END COMMENT]. On the other hand, as the calls get louder and louder for Abdullah II to abdicate, the Queen has made it clear to the Hashemite family that she will never allow anyone other than her son to succeed Abdullah.
11. While Rania’s back-room actions are designed to prop up her son, opposition to the regime is growing both inside and outside the country. According to JaFaJ sources, several entities are organizing and vying for position. Although they all claim to have the same ultimate goal, they are taking different roads to the end result: bringing their version of “democracy” to the nation. Nonetheless, the road to “democracy” in Jordan is not paved in gold. The King’s most loyal faction, the Muslim Brotherhood realizes that they could “go down with the King” and therefore are willing to oppose any regime they don’t approve of with a military style Jihad if necessary. As Jordan’s stalemate stands, the King may pass away with no clear successor or evidence of continuity for the Royal Family or nation.
12. JaFaJ sources familiar with the King’s actions stated that “Unless the West steps in with support for the very few Jordanian moderate opposition figures, Jordan could be eligible for a prolonged period of unrest and turmoil”. A Western intelligence source with close ties to Jordanian issues has told JaFaJ that “The West needs to step in now and do something about this before a civil war breaks out, and people start dying.”
Conclusion
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13. As Abdullah’s health rapidly fails, his son lacks popularity with a people that has never been this angry with the Hashemite rulers. As a result, in the case of Abdullah II’s death or abdication, the issue of succession is everything but guaranteed, and it’s clear that the region and world will be caught off guard if (when) the King dies or abdicates and a power vacuume opens. Since the West has not become involved and shown support for any form of alternative to Abdullah’s rule, this power vacuume will lead to regional unrest that could ignite a Jordanian civil war.