Although Kuwait sports democratic institutions and has a Constitution, it is not a full democracy or a constitutional monarchy. In 1999, in his celebrated study on Middle Eastern monarchies All in the Family, political scientist Michael Herb came up with...

Because of the almost complete dependence of Kuwait’s economy on petroleum products, it fluctuates strongly with the highs and lows of the volatile global oil market. © Copyright Notice Please contact us in case of omissions concerning copyright-protected wo...

When put into regional perspective, Kuwait has a distinctive cultural history. A reverse history, one might say, that saw the country go from a liberal haven for artists from all over the region to a restrictive place where the arts face official censorship...

It remains to be seen how many scantily dressed cartoon characters will end up in the booths of that book fair, due to be held in November. More generally, it remains to be seen where Kuwait is going with its censorship, and how strong the influence of...

Restoring the demographic balance seems the highest priority for parliament members of Kuwait, who insist on a discussion about the ‘expat situation’ in an attempt to improve the economic situation. © Copyright Notice Please contact us in case of...

Kuwait has a relatively open media environment in comparison to its Gulf neighbours, and is ranked highest of all the Gulf states in the Reporters Without Borders 2016 World Press Freedom Index. However, its ranking of 103 (out of 179) indicates that...

The opposition, against the government and so against the previous parliament, which was deemed merely an extension of the government, is far from united. The elected opposition candidates, who won 24 of the 50 seats in the election, range from liberals...

Whatever the results of the election, with political tensions on the rise, it is likely that the new parliament will be an unstable one, potentially leading to yet another dissolution and election. This may be the only way for the opposition to oust the...