Jordan’s King Abdullah II said that as a result of the Arab Spring, Arab countries have realized “we need to stand more on our own two feet, and take our own decisions and be more bullish and straightforward about it” in an interview broadcast on Monday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel.
Abdullah did state, “we have a very, very strong relationship with the United States. We’ve had it historically. It’s gotten stronger, I think, over the years because we’ve worked so closely together on so many issues. And I’m glad to see that the relationship has strengthened with two of our strong allies [Egypt and Morocco].”
He added, “I think the relationships [with the West] have changed. I think Arab Spring was a — is a lesson for all of us in the region on how we deal with our friends. We express our views to our Western allies, but I think the difference is now we express them quite strongly, and in my point of view, there’s been many times where I’ve said, ‘look, this is how I think things are going,’ and my view is not to wait as much as I used to in the old days for an answer, because things are happening, and you’ve got to react quickly.” And “it’s been a wake-up call that, you know, we need to stand more on our own two feet, and take our own decisions and be more bullish and straightforward about it. At the end of the day, I think I know what’s best for my country and for the region, and I think a blunt and honest discussion with friends is always much better than being wishy-washy.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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