Jordan has been modernizing its military and expanding the kingdom's
defense industry, with procurement and upgrade of F-16 aircraft. But despite
sharply enhanced defense and military capabilities, threats to Jordan remain
internal. Jordan's Palestinian majority is turning closer to such actors as
Al Qaida and Hamas. King Abdullah does not have the iron will and subtlety
of his late father, Hussein, and his relations with the powerful Islamic
opposition are turning ugly. A major threat to the Hashemite kingdom is the
U.S. plan to establish an independent Palestinian state in the neighboring
West Bank.