AMMAN, Jordan — In his debut this week as crown prince, Abdullah ibn Hussein seemed at ease as he smiled warmly and clasped hands with the hundreds of politicians, Bedouin tribal leaders and clerics who paraded across the marble floors of Raghadan Palace.
"We should talk--soon," he whispered to one former prime minister.
"Let's get together once all these formalities are over," he told a senator.
The next day, a representative of the world's only remaining superpower, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, made a detour during her overseas trip to show support for the future king of Jordan.
Abdullah again beamed, puffed up his chest and, after nearly colliding with Albright's car door, took her hand and smoothly guided her up a red carpet and into the palace.
"How was your trip?" he asked solicitously.
The eldest son of a seriously ill King Hussein, Abdullah has unexpectedly found himself in charge of this small, strategic country at a time of historic crisis and uncertainty.
Abdullah, who turns 37 today, is a career army officer who is described by those who know him as charming and affable--as his debut demonstrated--but whose political philosophy, viewpoints and abilities are a question mark.
How he will rule, where he will focus his priorities and whether he has the diplomatic skills and intellectual acumen to hold his own against Middle Eastern strongmen--these are only a few of the unknowns swirling around the stocky, light-eyed crown prince who serves as commander of the Jordanian army's Special Forces.
Born to a British mother, Abdullah was schooled in England and the United States, displays a passion for high-energy sports and--as his first speech to the public showed Friday--speaks better English than Arabic.
In a rare interview published three months ago, Abdullah spoke of growing up in his father's household and the pressures his family faces, and he alluded only faintly to his own future.
"It is not easy to walk in the footsteps of such a great character," he told the Arabic-language Al Wasat magazine, which is based in Paris. "If I'm able to accomplish a small portion of what my father did, I will die happy."
Part of the mystery around Abdullah stems from the fact that few Jordanians ever expected to see him in the role apparently thrust upon him.
