Now, Abdullah said, he believes his people want peace.

"There have been wars in our region for 30 to 40 years. The people in our part of the world have just had enough," he said. "I believe Jordanians are just saying 'let there be peace.'"

With the onset of globalization, Abdullah said, ensuring security in the Middle East is necessary to bringing prosperity to the region.

"There's a commonality of economic interests. There's no room for narrow differences," he said.

To lure foreign investment, Abdullah advocated liberal policies on trade and the free movement of capital.

One of the central goals of Abdullah's visit to the United States was to attract American business dollars. In addition to meetings with President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Madeline K. Albright and various members of Congress, Abdullah spoke with representatives of the private sector to establish "joint ventures with big American companies," he said.

With over 50 percent of the country's citizens under age 20, many of whom travel to the United States and Europe for their education, Abdullah said Jordan is rich in intellectual and human capital.

"There is such a wealth of young talent that we want to utilize," he said. "We are going to the computer industry and saying that Jordan has a golden opportunity for both sides."