Kuwait is known by some as the "most democratic country in the Gulf", which is not a lot to say, but at least means something when you talk about authoritarian/autocratic regimes like the ones installed in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain... Kuwait is a tiny oil-rich country where both freedom of press, freedom of assembly and freedom of speech are guaranteed, a country where the citizens have enjoyed for years more liberties than any of their neighbors. The peaceful consensus is based on an agreement reached between the Royal Family and the main opposition parties in Jeddah during the first "Gulf War" on 2 August 1990 (the day Iraq invaded Kuwait ) that stipulates that all sides should respect the 1961 Constitution. And that's the main reason why many believed the "Arab Spring" would not be successful there. But apparently they were wrong for, as of lately, more and more clashes have broken out between the 83 year old Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad (and ...
A blog on Middle Eastern affairs... and everything related to it.