In this talk, Clea Bunch (University of Arkansas, Little Rock) 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.