Kuwait

Economics

Politics

Kuwait held National Assembly elections on April 4, with incumbent parliamentarians winning 39 of the 50 elected seats and opposition lawmakers winning 29 seats, Al-Monitor reported on April 5.

Kuwait: A New National Assembly Is Unlikely To Break Political Gridlock

The Kuwaiti emir issued a royal decree dissolving the National Assembly due to its members allegedly violating the constitution by using "offensive and inappropriate" language, France 24 reported on Feb. 15.

Kuwait: Royal Decree Dissolves National Assembly

Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Kuwait's emir since 2020, died, the Guardian reported on Dec. 16.

Kuwait: Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah Dies

Bahrain

Oman

Qatar

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United Arab Emirates

Pakistan

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Dec. 3 reached a consensus on investment terms concerning a potential free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, Arab News Pakistan reported on Dec. 4.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Consensus on Investment Terms Bodes Well for Possible FTA

United States

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Military & Security

Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq, a facade for Iranian-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, said on Oct. 24 that U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were "legitimate targets" due to Washington's support for Israel in the Gaza war, Le Monde reported the next day.

Iraq, U.S.: Iranian-Backed Iraqi Militia Threatens U.S. Targets in UAE and Kuwait

Voters reelected 37 of the 50 lawmakers in Kuwait's parliament on June 6, in what was the Arab Gulf state's third election in as many years amid an ongoing political stalemate in the country, the AP has reported.

Kuwait: Legislative Election Results in Little Change, Portending More Gridlock

Kuwait's Constitutional Court annulled the 2022 legislative election results and said it would reinstate the 2020 National Assembly due to the "invalidity of the electoral process," AP reported on March 19.

Kuwait: Court Annuls 2022 Legislative Election Results, Denying Opposition a Majority

Social Issues

Kuwait's crown prince accepted the government's resignation after the country's Sept. 29 parliamentary elections, Reuters reported Oct. 2.

Kuwait: Government Formation to Begin Following Electoral Victory for Opposition

Assessments

Egypt

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Turkey

Yemen

Students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) rally in support of Palestinians outside the main gate of the university in the Lebanese capital on Oct. 9, 2023. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Israel's likely ground invasion in Gaza will alienate many Muslims in the Middle East, pressuring their governments to respond in support of Palestinians.

Gauging the Regional Response to the Gaza Conflict

Iranian-made satellite carriers (left) and missiles (right) are displayed in front of the Holy Defense Museum in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 20, 2020.

U.S.-Iran Relations

The integrated air and missile defense system laid out in the proposed DEFEND Act could entice Saudi Arabia to deepen normalization with Israel.

U.S. Lawmakers Unveil a Plan to Shield Middle East Allies From Iranian Aggression

Members of Kuwait’s stateless Bidoon community protest to demand citizenship and other rights in Jahra, northwest of Kuwait City, in December 2011. 

The Saudi Survival Strategy

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Broken Contracts in the Middle East

Compared with Qatar and the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will be much slower to naturalize the descendants of desert nomads living within their borders.

What Greater GCC Citizenship Means for the Arab Gulf’s Stateless Residents

Snapshots

A portrait of Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi is seen on a billboard in Sanaa, Yemen, on Oct. 31, 2021. 

The Yemen Civil War

Iran's Arc of Influence

By alienating wealthy Arab Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, a Lebanese official’s show of support for Iran-backed proxies risks deepening his country’s financial crisis.

A Row Over Yemen Sends Lebanon-Gulf Ties Spiraling

Angola

Nigeria

Russia

Algeria

OPEC headquarters on April 4, 2013, in Vienna. OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

Energy

OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

OPEC+ Stays the Course, Driving up Oil Price, Inflation Expectations

An oil tanker sails on Maracaibo Lake in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on March 15, 2019. OPEC'S relevance will slowly decline over the next two decades as the global transition from fossil fuels accelerates and oil's dominance in the transportation sector is diminished.

OPEC'S relevance will slowly decline over the next two decades as the global transition from fossil fuels accelerates and oil's dominance in the transportation sector is diminished.

As Oil's Importance Fades, So Will OPEC

Qatar’s defense minister (center) waits for the arrival of his Turkish counterpart to meet with the prime minister of Libya’s U.N.-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli on Aug. 17, 2020. 

The Libyan Civil War

Security

The easing of the Qatar blockade may help resolve the current GCC crisis, but it won't unite Arab Gulf states’ divergent regional policies.

A Potential Breakthrough in Qatar Paves the Way for GCC Reconciliation 

Kuwaiti legislators attend a parliamentary session at the National Assembly building in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Oct. 20, 2020. 

COVID-19

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The opposition now controls nearly half of Kuwait’s National Assembly, setting the stage for delayed reforms and political gridlock. 

What a Split Parliament Means for Kuwait’s Financial Future

A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Dec. 5, 2017. 

A Crude Recovery

The proposed tax for wealthy Omani citizens underscores the growing pressure on GCC states to reduce their heavy reliance on oil and gas revenue.

Oman’s New Income Tax Will Offer a Test Case for the Arab Gulf 

The Sept. 29 passing of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, longtime ruler of Kuwait, could shift Kuwait's staid economic and foreign policies.

Will the Passing of Kuwait's Emir Signal a Policy Shift for the Gulf Arab Country?

The kingdom’s pandemic-related financial woes may force its leader to suspend the country’s gridlocked legislature in order to pass a crucial debt law, and potentially other overdue reforms.

In Kuwait, a Blocked Debt Law Portends a Dissolved Parliament

Guidance

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Eid Amid COVID-19, U.S. Economic Developments

The emirate of Kuwait is on the northwestern edge of the Persian Gulf, nestled between Iraq and Saudi Arabia and narrowly divided by land from Iran. Iraq's border blocks Kuwait from the fertile river lands of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, leaving the country a hot, waterless desert with no natural year-round rivers or lakes. Kuwait is, however, rich in hydrocarbons beneath its largely sandy desert.    Because of their country's low rainfall and poor soil, Kuwaitis used to live off pearling and trade and were usually dominated by whoever controlled Iraq to the north. That often made Kuwait a borderland of empires, as its settled population interacted with merchants and traders out of Iraq and Iran and the Bedouins who traveled up from Arabia. These interactions left Kuwait's population divided between Bedouins, Sunnis and Shiites.    After World War I broke up the Ottoman Empire, Kuwait achieved independence as a British protectorate. The discovery of hydrocarbons in the 1930s allowed Kuwait to rapidly transform its economy and modernize. But it still faced the challenge of needing access to trade routes and protection from powers in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran. At various times, Kuwait leans on different neighbors to balance them against one another, as it did when it aligned with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. Most recently, Kuwait has relied on its alliance with the United States to ensure its independence and access to global trade routes via the Strait of Hormuz.      To ensure its security, Kuwait must have a sponsor, whether in the region or beyond it, who sees value in its independence and can guarantee its access to trade. And it must also balance its divided population, whose divisions can pull the country towards different neighbors at different times. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Kuwait: A New National Assembly Is Unlikely To Break Political Gridlock

Kuwait: Royal Decree Dissolves National Assembly

Kuwait: Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah Dies

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Consensus on Investment Terms Bodes Well for Possible FTA

Iraq, U.S.: Iranian-Backed Iraqi Militia Threatens U.S. Targets in UAE and Kuwait

Kuwait: Legislative Election Results in Little Change, Portending More Gridlock

Kuwait: Court Annuls 2022 Legislative Election Results, Denying Opposition a Majority

Kuwait: Government Formation to Begin Following Electoral Victory for Opposition

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