Drawing on numerous visits to the country and interviews with a diversity of people, including King Abdullah, Alan George describes how Jordan's reasonably stable monarchical system, unlike that in most Arab countries, has allowed the halting development of civil society and maintained control through the skillful co-option of opponents rather than heavy-handed reliance on its secret police. What is daily life like? How do its parliamentary system and political parties work? How free are the media? What are the future prospects of this buffer "state without a nation"?