Kuwait

With the current makeup of Kuwait’s political system, popular influence will continue to play a role in charting Kuwait’s foreign policy.

AGSIW offers reflections on Sabah al-Ahmed by former U.S. ambassadors to Kuwait, Deborah K. Jones, Douglas A. Silliman, Lawrence R. Silverman, and Edward W. Gnehm, Jr., as well as former U.S. Ambassador and Representative to the United Nations Thomas R. Pickering.

The death of Kuwait’s emir, Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, marks the passage of a seasoned diplomat, cunning politician, and valued humanitarian. Will his successor preserve Kuwait’s democratic political culture and independent foreign policy?

The coronavirus pandemic represents an opportunity to reevaluate existing policies and tools, and climate change provides the needed lens for redirecting development onto sustainable trajectories.

Kuwaiti activism against book censorship yields a partial victory, but expression remains strictly regulated through press and publication laws across the Gulf.

The path to put women on the bench in Kuwait has been long and controversial. Without real political will to increase opportunities for women, the wheels of change will continue to turn slowly.

While political narratives on Israel are shifting under the influence of some determined state leaders, resistance to normalization remains across Gulf societies.

As Gulf Arab policymakers continue to confront an ambiguous future, they will rely heavily on familiar economic policy measures and avoid straying from the status quo as long as possible.