Black September and the Question of Palestinian Identity within Jordan

In this talk, Clea Bunch looks at the events of Black September 1970, in which King Hussein of Jordan fought a civil war against Palestinian
militant groups. She argues that Jordan constituted a “hidden pillar”
of America?s Middle East policy. Only during crises like Black
September did the kingdom’s essential role become apparent.
Washington saw Hussein’s pro-Western leadership as essential
maintaining a regional balance of power, and so United States linked
its policy to the continuation of the Hashemite regime in Jordan.

Clea Bunch is Assistant Professor of History and Chair of Middle East
Studies at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She specializes
in U.S.-Middle East diplomacy and has conducted extensive research in
the Middle East. She is currently writing a book on the history of
Jordanian-American relations, 1948-1970.

The talk is free and open to the public. A brief reception will
follow Prof. Bunch’s presentation. Please join us for this exciting
event!

hm 5/10/09