Arab Winds of Change - Jordan Next?

The new prime minister is unlikely to dampen Jordanians’ desire for faster economic and political progress. The king has talked of political reform for 12 years, retaining absolute power even as the kingdom’s economy has faltered. To pay for a national debt that has doubled in a decade, he has cut services and subsidies and raised taxes. “It took north Africa’s explosion to make him take notice,” says Adnan abu Odeh, who once ran the royal court and is sympathetic to the protesters. Criticism of corruption has grown increasingly personal. The king is widely derided for spending too much time abroad. Tales abound of favoured bureaucrats becoming rich. Full story here.