Kuwait

Under the strain of the coronavirus pandemic and the political imperatives of upcoming elections, populism is raging in Kuwait. It colors public discourse high and low, from elite campaigns to root out corruption to grassroot demands to expel guest workers.

While most Gulf Arab countries have tackled the coronavirus pandemic through state-led initiatives, Kuwait and Bahrain engaged youth significantly through quasi-independent civil society organizations.

The coronavirus outbreak has redefined the responsibilities of citizens and the business community, impacting the already evolving rentier state structure and highlighting economic and religious challenges

Gulf governments see the sharing economy as a source of jobs for young people and promising outlet for entrepreneurs.

Student unions and clubs have played an important role in the lives of Gulf Arab students, both in local universities and abroad.

The end of the dispute will add little or no oil output immediately, but it does restore some spare capacity, and resolves one of the breaches in the Gulf Cooperation Council.

A number of works about the situation of the biduns, or stateless people, have emerged into Kuwait’s contemporary literary scene.

Kuwait’s government resigns amid charges of embezzlement, as both the Parliament and ruling family prepare for impending elections – and a looming succession.