The good people of Jordan should consider themselves fortunate to have a government that leads like that of King Abdullah.  As the world watches violence erupt throughout the region, instigated by government-backed thugs, peaceful demonstrations continue to be held weekly throughout Amman.  Although Jordan's protests are not receiving the international attention that protests in Syria, Bahrain, Egypt and Libya are garnering, I think it is important for us to focus attention on what is happening here at home.

The stark contrast between Jordan's large and largely peaceful demonstrations and those of neighboring countries is only further evidence that in King Abdullah, Jordan has a true, progressive leader that sees the bigger picture.  It has become apparent that King Abdullah embraces the demonstrations as a way for his people to vent their frustrations with continued economic strife, and has taken no action to deter the protests that are held in an organized and peaceful manner.

The King is on record as welcoming the demonstrations and has made nary a move to quell them, except to place a restriction on demonstrations that disrupt the routine of every day life for those who are not involved in the protests.  As someone who has been directly inconvenienced by a large demonstration that was held recently, I can stand behind a policy that prevents protestors from blocking major traffic arteries and blocking access to local businesses.  Any demonstration that is held to pressure the government should do so without contributing to an already precarious economic situation for many local businesses, and if the aim of protesters is to gain media coverage of their event, they can do so without taking over and clogging any of the Kingdom's vital thoroughfares.

I have gone on record many times as supporting the right of Jordanians to take to the streets to protest corruption, taxes, restrictions on political freedoms, etc.  What I take issue with are those that would exploit regional political revolutions to further their own political or religious agenda.  Under the leadership of King Abdullah, Jordan is not a country that knows true political and financial repression yet there are elements and groups within our borders who would exploit socio-economic and political tensions to achieve their own agenda.

I have heard rumblings on the street that there are certain groups who are attempting to instigate violence in the hopes that it will spark a wild-fire of protests.  What could be better for those with an agenda than to have the government be forced to quell demonstrations with violence?  As we have seen in neighboring countries, nothing brings the international media like violence.  And when the international media comes, so does outside support money.  What better way for politically motivated groups to gain the support of external groups than to spark violence within Jordan so they can gather in front of CNN's cameras and protest the "oppressive regime" of King Abdullah?

In the early days of the demonstrations in Jordan, I watched over and over as CNN tried to tie our peaceful protests in with those in neighboring countries like Syria, Bahrain and Egypt.  They even went so far as to give predictions on the likelihood of open revolt and violent clashes between the government and the protestors with many saying that the government would eventually be forced to resign.  Instead, our King listened to the voice of public opinion and formed a committee to discuss and plan change.  He has repeated over and over that he agrees that change should be made, but not at the threat of violent uprising.  Change has to occur in an organic and planned manner.  The government should give much thought to the consequences of political freedom and what the different scenarios can mean to the average citizen.  Change to benefit the most outspoken group or change for the sake of change is not the same as change for greater good.

To his credit, King Abdullah has shown remarkable restraint and leadership even as certain groups break with societal norms (and the law) by openly criticizing the royal family.  I for one feel very fortunate that our King shows the vision and leadership necessary to allow peaceful demonstrations to continue, even going so far as to provide police protection for protest groups who might otherwise be unwelcomed in certain areas.  It is this leadership and vision that gives Jordanians a hope for a better future with real opportunity to shine on the world stage.