Field Marshal General of the Army Sharif Zaid ibn Shakir was a cousin of King Hussein.

He served in a number of positions in the Jordanian military, including being a tank commander at both the brigade and division level.

[2] In addition to his high palace position, he also filled a then newly created post of adviser to the king on national security, which implied that Zaid bin Shaker would retain considerable influence over military policies.

[3] His father, Shakir Ibn Zaid, had participated in the Arab Revolt during the First World War, where he led a group of tribal levies, as well as in the Al-Khurma dispute.

[4] Returning to Jordan in 1956, Ibn Shaker was among a group of officers who participated in the Arabization of the Jordanian Army command.

The air attacks were so severe that Ibn Shaker recalled nearly being killed by napalm: When you're strafed you have to jump out of your vehicle - I was in a Land Rover - and throw yourself in a ditch.

Assured that they were prepared, he went back to Amman to attend the birthday party of Crown Prince Hassan ibn Talal, the king's brother.

[15] Ibn Shaker was opposed to the freedom granted to the fedayeen forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

[4] When clashes broke out between Jordanian and Palestinian fedayeen guerrillas in June 1970, the PLO demanded Ibn Shaker's dismissal.

Fearing that opposition to the fedayeen would only result in all out conflict, Hussein conceded, and announced Ibn Shaker's resignation.

[17] Ibn Shaker's dismissal did nothing to ease tension, and by late August fighting between the fedayeen and Jordanian army was a near daily occurrence.

This, combined with pressure from his top generals (Ibn Shaker included) and members of the political elite, led Hussein to decide for military action.

Despite this, the Jordanian military still met with problems due to dated weaponry and narrow streets of the city, which provided perfect defense cover for the fedayeen.

[20] Ethnic Palestinians in the Jordanian army deserted to join the fedayeen, and soon PLO forces had taken over Irbid and most of northern Jordan.

[4] In 1984, when Hussein was beginning talks with Yasser Arafat for the creation of a Palestinian state, Ibn Shakir opposed Jordanian support, worried that it would create a recurrence of Black September.

[25] Ibn Shakir was appointed as prime minister, with orders to curb corruption, ease discontent over unpopular economic measures, and arrange a general election as soon as possible.

Ibn Shaker was once again called in, this time to reform the economy, renew Arab unity which had been damaged since the invasion of Iraq, and reach accommodation for the Muslim Brotherhood.

In 1992, all martial law regulations imposed by King Hussein since the 1967 war were removed, and political parties were once again allowed to register.

Hussein adopted a hard line stance towards opponents of the accords, and banned meetings against it by Islamist, leftist, and nationalist groups.

[3] At his funeral, Prime Minister Ali Abu Al-Ragheb said of Ibn Shaker, "He passed away after a journey full of giving and achievement and long years of work and diligence in the service of the homeland and the Hashemite throne.

"[3] Middle Eastern military and political affairs analyst Kenneth M. Pollack listed Zaid ibn Shaker as an example of Arab generals in recent decades who had proven to be "first-rate generals", listing him alongside Syria's Ali Aslan and Iraq's Husayn Rashid Muhammad at-Tikriti.