The players - resources on key people and personalities in Kuwait.
Issues and ideas - a selection of articles covering key topics.
Perspectives: from the GSN archive - articles from GSN's extensive database.
Kuwait government list and other notables
Who's who in the government and other senior positions.
Updated May 2009.
Download the PDF
Al-Sabah family tree
A family tree showing the line of succession between the Jaber and Salem braches of the family
Published August 2008.Download the PDF
Sheikh Nasser exploits leverage over MPs to push through liberalisation measures
MPs under pressure from constituents to secure loan bailouts are susceptible to government lobbying on economic development and reform measures
Issue 876, 7 May 2010. 
more
PM survives key vote after agreeing to grilling
Prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah in early December agreed to answer questions in parliament over the alleged misuse of funds. He is the first premier to agree to be called to account before the National Assembly – earlier attempts resulted in the resignation of the cabinet and new elections (GSN 826/1).
Issue 868, 18 December 2009. more
Ahmed Al-Fahd is back and so are grillings
The former oil minister’s return is a measure of the political complications that Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed has to negotiate as opponents launch first grilling.
Issue 855, 12 June 2009. more
Kuwait’s democracy gives itself a fresh chance
Having seen voters punish the protagonists of confrontation, new MPs – women in the vanguard – could hold the key to co-operation in government. Prominent new MP Rola Dashti told GSN that Kuwaitis were seeking solutions rather than apportioning blame. Reappointed PM Sheikh Nasser Mohammed will hope she’s right.
Issue 854, 29 May 2009. more
Also see Issue 849, 13 March 2009. Kuwait’s premier pays the price of moderate Islamist defection; Issue 854, 29 May 2009. Kuwaiti political balance: ICM battered; Election of female MPs indicates change in public mood; Issue 842, 5 December 2008.Crunch time beckons for Kuwait’s comeback premier
Profile: Al-Kharafis size up Liverpool deal
With unsubstantiated rumours of a potential bid for Liverpool FC splashed across the UK newspapers, and a new deal to work with Gazprom, Kuwait’s prominent Al-Kharafi family is receiving more attention than usual.
Issue 846, 30 January 2009. more
Al-Sabah rifts at the heart of transparency battle
Rivalries within Kuwait’s ruling family have burst into the political struggle over efforts to promote transparency and finally bring justice in a KD150m ($520m) corruption case dating back to the early 1990s, in which former oil minister Sheikh Ali Al-Khalifa Al-Athbi Al-Sabah has been accused of involvement.
Issue 809, 6 July 2007. more
Emir acts to end Al-Sabah in-fighting, calm Constitution talk
Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has acted swiftly to end growing media speculation and rumours of plans to amend the Constitution and dissolve the National Assembly.
Issue 804, 27 April 2007. more
Sabah’s big gamble: new Emir faces the new shape of politics
Capable and efficient, but possibly over-reliant on traditional manoeuvres to maintain his hold on the political arena, Kuwait’s new Emir may have failed to read the mood of a country where exasperation at corruption has become widespread and campaigning is being reinvigorated by a more politicised youth.
Issue 782, 26 May 2006.more
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Government heads off debt bill
MPs have failed to force the government to endorse a popular bill that would have cost the state some $23bn to buy up personal loans and scrap interest (GSN 871/16).
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Sheikh Nasser exploits leverage over MPs to push through liberalisation measures
MPs under pressure from constituents to secure loan bailouts are susceptible to government lobbying on economic development and reform measures
Issue 876, 7 May 2010. more
Also see Issue 871, 12 February 2010. Deadlock is broken, but Kuwait’s MPs remain in combative mood; Issue 868, 18 December 2009. PM survives key vote after agreeing to grillingIssue 865, 20 November 2009. Al-Muslim finds a wider audience for attacks on PM; Issue 863, 23 October 2009. Confrontation threatens Kuwait reform hopes; Issue 855, 12 June 2009. Ahmed Al-Fahd is back and so are grillings; Issue 854, 29 May 2009. Kuwait’s democracy gives itself a fresh chance; Kuwaiti political balance: ICM battered; Election of female MPs indicates change in public mood
MPs reject Rafale deal
An Islamist parliamentary group has warned the government not to purchase French-made Rafale fighter jets, saying the deal is “suspicious”. “The bloc reiterates its firm rejection of this suspicious deal, especially following information that the latest technical reports have recommended the rejection of the deal,” the Reform and Development Bloc (RDB) said in a statement on 21 March.
Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
Kuwait arrests reflect a long history of militancy
The emirate represents the second most threatened in the GCC after Saudi Arabia, and Kuwaitis are significantly represented among Al-Qaeda’s leadership
Issue 860, 11 September 2009. more
Also see Issue 846, 30 January 2009. Iraq’s Kuwait border gets a little less wild
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| Perspectives: from the GSN archive |
Border deal
The Saudi-Kuwaiti technical committee for border demarcation has signed a contract for New Zealand’s NZ Aerial Mapping to carry out the demarcation.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Risk management report
Big budget announced, spending committed to multi-billion dollar development plan
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Government heads off debt bill
MPs have failed to force the government to endorse a popular bill that would have cost the state some $23bn to buy up personal loans and scrap interest (GSN 871/16).
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Court releases writer after international pressure
Kuwait’s criminal court on 28 June ordered the release of controversial writer Mohammed Abdulqader Al-Jassem after 49 days in detention.
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
NBK Islamic fund fully subscribed in one day
National Bank of Kuwait’s Islamic KD Ijara Fund IV was fully subscribed in its first day with a fund size of KD33m ($112m). The fund allows NBK clients to invest in a diversified portfolio of leasing contracts structured according to sharia principles.
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
Investment Dar restructuring nears approval
Investment Dar, the Kuwait-based owner of half of Aston Martin Lagonda, and its creditors have agreed to most commercial aspects of restructuring its liabilities, the company’s creditors committee said.
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
Sheikh Nasser exploits leverage over MPs to push through liberalisation measures
MPs under pressure from constituents to secure loan bailouts are susceptible to government lobbying on economic development and reform measures
Issue 876, 7 May 2010. more
Indicted Agility loses US Army order
The Public Warehousing Company KSC (PWC), rebranded as Agility, on 15 April issued a statement to the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) saying that the United States’ Defence Logistics Agency (DLA) had appointed another company to manage its main supply contract for Kuwait and Iraq
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
MPs reject Rafale deal
An Islamist parliamentary group has warned the government not to purchase French-made Rafale fighter jets, saying the deal is “suspicious”. “The bloc reiterates its firm rejection of this suspicious deal, especially following information that the latest technical reports have recommended the rejection of the deal,” the Reform and Development Bloc (RDB) said in a statement on 21 March.
Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
Time for clear thinking on free speech in Kuwait
Freedom of expression is a proud Kuwaiti boast in a region where most countries restrict public debate and media comment. The existence of a powerful and democratically elected parliament is only one facet of a society that can justifiably claim to stand out from its neighbours for the pluralism and vigour of its political culture. Equally important are the newspapers – whose buildings line Press Street in the capital’s Shuwaikh district – and a rich variety of diwaniyas and meetings where citizens chew over ideas and opinions.
Issue 873, 19 March 2010. more
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