For King Abdullah, the perils of direct involvement in the Syrian conflict must be weighed against the equal risks of simply letting the conflict drag on. Already, his country is a temporary home for up to half a million Syrian refugees, and a semi-permanent home for between 50,000 and half a million Iraqi refugees (precise figures are disputed). On top of that are nearly nearly two million Palestinian refugees who have fled there since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967. The recent arrivals have put a heavy added strain on Jordan, which is already struggling with high unemployment and huge water shortages, not to mention demands for an Arab Spring of its own to end King Abdullah's monarchy.