The next king will do exactly as all his predecessors did, like his great-grandfather Abdallah, like his father Hussein, neither more nor less. His true sentiments have absolutely no bearing on the matter. If he secretly despises Ariel Sharon, the man behind the massacres of Kibyeh and Shatilla, he will, nevertheless, kiss him warmly on both cheeks, thinking about his Palestinian wife. If he despises Saddam, he will make heartfelt pronouncements about the suffering of the Iraqi people. This is the name of the game called Jordan.
Kings come and go.
But the map remains.