Jordan's New King
King Hussein of Jordan had the kind of respect and admiration from his countrymen that Americans accord only to figures like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Such enormous influence in Jordan, and the Middle East, is not necessarily something that would pass naturally to his successor, especially a successor who is virtually ungroomed for public office.
King Abdullah bin Hussein was swept from his military barracks and plunged into affairs of state last month when his ailing father named him as heir.
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Until then the 37-year-old prince, commander of Jordan's Special Forces in an army which forms the bedrock of support for the ruling Hashemite dynasty, had rarely been considered a leading contender for the throne.
He was thrown into the international spotlight by his father's decision last week to install him as heir in place of the king's brother, Prince Hassan, who had been Hussein's designated successor for 34 years.
Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told CBS This Morning that he believes many in Jorda will come to respect and admire Hussein's decision on his successor.
"I think Abdullah himself has his own unique qualities that will endear him to his people," Satloff said. "He lacks experience, and there is a sense of uncertainty in the region, but hopefully in time he will grow to be his father's son, in ruling as well as in fact."
Few expect Prince Hassan to fade into the background, and many hope that the ill will created by the speed and manner in which the change occurred, will dissipate in the face of the larger interests of his family and his country.
"It would be very important that the new crown prince, Abdullah, turn to Hassan to ask for his wisdom and experience," Satloff said. "If indeed the king passes, we're losing then King Hussein and his partner for the last 34 years, Prince Hassan. It's important not to fill both pairs of shoes at the same time."
The future king's leading role in the military should help ensure he would get the support from the armed forces which would be crucial to a smooth transition.
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Abdullah, Hussein's eldest son, was crown prince for a short time in his infancy but his uncle was appointed heir in 1965 to ensure the crown would not pass to a young child at a time of mounting Middle East turmoil.
He has occasionally acted as regent in the absence of King Hussein and other senior family members and has built up links with young members of Gulf Arab ruling families.
His main role has been within the Special Forces, a highly specialized commando unit dedicated to maintaining internal order. It helped to quell riots in southern Jordan in 1996.
Last year he led a high-profile Special Forces operation to storm the hideout of gunmen who had killed eight people in Amman. When the shooting was over Jordanians chanted his name on the streets.
A few months later his father promoted him to major-general and diplomats speculated that the king, the Middle East's longest-serving ruler, was grooming him to take command of Jordan's land forces.
Although Jordan's constitution does not rule it out, the fact that Abdullah had an English mother, born a non-Muslim, had been seen as an obstacle to his taking the throne of a tribal Muslim country. Abdullah does, however, have a Palestinian wife.
One of the most remarkable statesmen of this century, Hussein made his country survive and thrive in a region that is inhospitable and dangerous, a huge achievement in the Middle East.
For years, Hussein has een instrumental in promoting peace between Israel and the Arab world and many fear that the peace process would be inalterably hobbled by the king's death.
"The structure of peace is larger than any one man," Satloff said. "I think that there is enough there that peace will survive the king, but his absence will be sorely missed."
Abdullah has participated in military-to-military relations with the Israelis in his role as a major general in the army, and, Satloff adds, one suspects he supports his father's policies wholeheartedly.
"One doesn't know whether he is willing to go the extra yard, willing to set new yardsticks for peace making," he added. "That will be the test of the new king."