King Hussein of Jordan: Leadership, Strategy and the Making of a Modern State
King Hussein of Jordan (1952–1999): Leadership, Strategy and the Making of a Modern State
Date and Time:
Wednesday, 7th October 2026
6:00 PM Beirut / Amman Time (EEST)
5:00 PM Lausanne / Bratislava Time (CEST)
4:00 PM United Kingdom Time (BST)
Location:
Live Online Webinar
Hosted by:
Hume Institute for Postgraduate Studies – Centre for Jordan Studies
in collaboration with Adapt Institute, Bratislava
Speaker:
Dr Vincent Arbaretier
Military Historian and Modern Middle East Specialist, CNAM Paris
Dr Vincent Arbaretier is a military historian and modern Middle East specialist at CNAM Paris, currently completing a Habilitation on King Hussein as a military leader and strategist.
Formerly Chief of the Military History Department at the French Defence Historical Institute, Dr Arbaretier has authored three books and more than twenty scholarly publications.
Overview:
King Hussein of Jordan’s reign from 1952 to 1999 encompassed almost five decades of profound regional and international change. His leadership spanned wars, political crises, shifting alliances and major transformations in the strategic landscape of the Middle East.
This webinar will explore King Hussein’s leadership, military strategy and statecraft, examining the role these played in shaping modern Jordan and in securing the Kingdom’s position within an often volatile regional environment.
Drawing on military history and the study of modern Middle Eastern politics, Dr Vincent Arbaretier will consider King Hussein not only as a political leader, but also as a military strategist whose decisions were shaped by Jordan’s geographic position, security constraints and relations with neighbouring states and international powers.
The discussion will examine the interaction between leadership, military strategy and diplomacy throughout King Hussein’s reign, considering how Jordan navigated periods of regional conflict, domestic pressure and changing geopolitical alignments.
The webinar will also consider King Hussein’s wider contribution to the development and consolidation of the modern Jordanian state, offering historical perspectives on the strategic choices that shaped Jordan’s political and security trajectory during the second half of the twentieth century.
Click below for more information and to download the poster:
King Hussein of Jordan (1952–1999): Leadership, Strategy and the Making of a Modern State