(Voice Over) One of the first reminders this is no ordinary queen, she drives herself around town.

video clip of Queen Rania

(Voice Over) And then, there's the fact that her Majesty doesn't shy away from blunt talk on the brink of war.

HM QUEEN RANIA OF JORDAN, US ALLY: I think the Jordanian people are trying to figure out where the United States is coming from. I do feel that there maybe is not enough communication taking place. And that is, that is always a dangerous situation. I feel on the international scene there hasn't been enough investment in, diplomacy. And the longer we wait the, more hardening there is of the positions and the more difficult it is to bridge the gap.

CLAIRE SHIPMAN: Is there much anti-Americanism here right now?

HM QUEEN RANIA: There is a degree of anti-Americanism, and that is something that really worries me, because I feel, you know, the American people might be getting a bad rap when they don't deserve it. I know the, I know that the American people are peace loving people, that they and God fearing. That, that they really try to do the right thing.

(Voice Over) This is what the economically strained nation fears most about another war, refugees. A million and a half Iraqis poured into Jordan during the last Gulf War. Eighty eight percent of Jordanians are anti-war. But the King has already let thousands of US troops into the country to prepare for war.

CLAIRE SHIPMAN : Your husband is, is tacitly giving the United States some support. Does that put him in a difficult position with the Jordanian people who oppose a war?

HM QUEEN RANIA: The leadership has been very clear with the people as to why there is presence, and that is primarily to protect Jordan and not for offensive reasons.

CLAIRE SHIPMAN: (Voice Over) Right now, for example, the United States can use Jordanian airspace only for humanitarian purposes. Could you imagine if a war started that that would, would change and Jordan would suddenly be more open in, in helping the United States?

HM QUEEN RANIA: I'm not one to give that kind of information, 'cause I'm not really part of, of that, that side of things. But I, I doubt that that would happen, honestly.

CLAIRE SHIPMAN: (Voice Over) Certainly you must think about once a war starts with Iraq that, that Saddam Hussein might send chemical weapons this way, or . . .

HM QUEEN RANIA: He has no reason to because we haven't done anything against him, or, you know, we're not, we're not really an enemy of his. But it's unpredictable. And I think that this is something that the whole world is worried about.

CLAIRE SHIPMAN: (Off Camera) What do you fear most for Jordan in terms of a war?

HM QUEEN RANIA: If, if there is a war and the war is won, are we going to be able to secure the peace? Because that's going to affect the entire region. We're also worried about the, the, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Most of the, the main grievance in, in our part of the world is a result of that conflict.

CLAIRE SHIPMAN: (Voice Over) The queen is a Jordanian citizen of Palestinian origin. Palestinians actually make up 60 percent of the population, and that conflict constantly royals the politics here.

HM QUEEN RANIA: Extremism has increased as a result of lack of progress on that track.

CLAIRE SHIPMAN: (Off Camera) Could the US be doing more right now?

HM QUEEN RANIA: I believe so. The United States is the only remaining superpower. And we talk about, let's, let's actually ask ourselves, what does it mean to be a superpower? It's not just about military minds and about being the strongest economy. It's also about having the moral authority. You know, fight against evil, but also fight for good at the same time, concurrently.

CLAIRE SHIPMAN: And if there is war, one of the trickiest questions could be, will the Iraqis fight back? In the Gulf War, tens of thousands of Iraqi troops surrendered on the first day. In some cases the Americans were overwhelmed.