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Article: As Iraq Awaits Saddam's Downfall, King Hussein Revives Hashemite Claim
- Article from:
- The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
- Article date:
- January 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Educational Trust Jan 1996. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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As Iraq Awaits Saddam's Downfall, King Hussein Revives Hashemite Claim
By John M. Levins
In the midst of the excitement over the August defections from Iraq and fresh revelations on Saddam's weapons program, one of the most profound developments in the Arab Middle East in recent years has gone largely unnoticed in the West: Jordanian King Hussein's resurrection of the Hashemite claim to the Iraqi throne.
The opening salvo of this campaign, prompting great concern in certain Arab capitals, came in the king's Aug. 23 address to his nation where he subtly but firmly laid out the religous and historical basis for his claim.
Declaring in his opening lines: "God Bless the Arab Hashemite Prophet," ...