King Abdullah

The government says free expression can combat radicalization. Yet a military court recently sentenced a man to 18 months in prison for a Facebook post deemed insulting to the United Arab Emirates.

Jordanians now support the military campaign against the self-declared Islamic State. But King Abdullah still faces domestic opponents, religious and secular, who chafe at restrictions at home.

The royal family carried out the transition to a new monarch without a hitch. Still, the region is facing unprecedented turmoil and King Salman assumes the monarchy with several major challenges.