Risk Management Report: Kuwait
Risk Management Reports
Issue 989
- 19 Mar 2015
| 1 minute read
Kuwait has been governed by the Al-Sabah family since the 18th
century. It gained independence from Britain in 1961; a new constitution
written that year confirmed the hereditary monarchy, but gave significant
powers to an independent judiciary and an elected assembly. The emir –
currently Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah – retains final say and political
parties are banned. But the 50-member assembly has proven vibrant, and
Kuwaiti politics the most participatory in the Gulf. The downside of this
experiment in partial democracy has been the constant friction between the
elected parliament and the appointed government, which has often resulted
in paralysis of the state.
Kuwait’s media is one of the most outspoken in the region but, since 2011,
the government has cracked down on criticism of Islam or of the ruling
family. The downward trend arrow on Kuwait’s political risk grade reflects
the potential for political instability as members of the ruling family jostle for
position; the emir is in his mid-eighties and, while his half-brother Nawaf is
expected to succeed him, there is uncertainty about where power will go
next. Externally, there have been serious crises with Iraq in the 1970s, Iran in
the 1980s and the occupation by Iraq in 1990. Emir Sabah sometimes plays
a mediating role within the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and, in the
past year, has shown himself willing to rebuild ties with Iran.
This article is available to registered users
Login
Don't have an account?
Register for access to our free content
An account also allows you to view selected free articles and set up news alerts.
Register