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The king of Jordan dismissed his government Tuesday and appointed a new prime minister with orders to implement political reform.

The dismissal follows several protests calling for change in Jordan -- protests that echo demonstrations that have swept across North Africa and the Middle East in the last few weeks.

King Abdullah II asked Marouf Al Bakhit to form a government in Jordan that will implement "genuine political reform," the Royal Court said in a statement.

The government will "take practical steps, quick and concrete, to launch a process of genuine political reform" and "comprehensive development," according to a letter from the king to Al Bakhit. It also will act to strengthen democracy, the letter said.

Jordan has been deprived of "achievement opportunities" due to some leaders' resistance to change, the king wrote, and because they had sometimes put their own interests ahead of those of the public.

The king asked Al Bakhit and the new government "to conduct a thorough evaluation process" and review laws regarding political affairs and civil freedoms to "address the mistakes of the past" and develop "a clear action plan that takes the march of reform forward."

King Abdullah II also called on the new government to strengthen the institutional infrastructure and combat corruption, and prosecute those found to be involved in corruption.

Jawad Anani, a former Jordanian deputy prime minister, told CNN the changes had to be made and that the development comes amid a "deep outcry in the Arab world" seeking change and reform.

He said the king wants Jordan to be more competitive, globalized, and influential, but the management he's been choosing "has not been very successful."

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Protests in Egypt have dominated international headlines of late, but signs of unrest are prevalent in several countries throughout the Middle East and Africa.

Emboldened by an uprising in Tunisia, which saw the nation's president of almost a quarter century flee to Saudi Arabia, protesters have staged similar demonstrations from Lebanon to Yemen to Algeria.

Yemen

In an apparent attempt to head off the unrest witnessed in other countries, President Ali Abdullah Saleh said recently said he would not seek re-election and would not pass power to his son.

It wasn't enough for thousands of anti-government protesters who gathered near Sanaa University in the nation's capital Thursday. They spoke out against poverty and demanded that Saleh, whose term ends in 2013, step down.

About a kilometer away pro-government supporters demonstrated in support of Saleh. Despite sparse security in the area, there were no apparent clashes between the sides.

Syria

By all accounts a police state, Syria has been ruled by President Bashar al-Assad for more than 10 years. Before him, his father, Hafez al-Assad ruled the country for almost three decades.

After seeing unrest in the region, al-Assad said he would push for political reforms in his own country because after protests like those in Egypt and Tunisia, "it's too late to do any reform."

It may be that al-Assad saw the writing on the wall. Opposition groups all over the region are organizing protests to demand a greater voice for the youth as well as improved human rights and living standards, according to Middle East Media Research Institute.

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