Like every country, Kuwait has many major political issues that must be dealt with in the country. First to discussion the political structure of Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with the head of the government being the Emir. The Emir then appoints a Prime Minister, a council of ministers (the equivalent of the United States Cabinet) who help the Prime Minister govern. The Council of Ministers must contain at least one elected member from the Kuwaiti parliament, known as Majlis Al-Umma or National Assembly. The National Assembly can dismiss the Prime Minister or any council minister constitutionally which makes them answerable to the National Assembly. The National Assembly has fifty elected members who are picked in elections that are held every four years. There are now 5 district and people get 5 votes and the top ten vote winners get elected. There are a number of political factions in Kuwait although political parties are not allowed. The majors ones are the Islamic bloc, The Shaai (Populist) bloc, the liberal bloc and independents. The Islamic bloc is mainly Salafi and Hadas members and is the most influential bloc with its 21 members. They want the return of Shari'a law and have supported bills like the elimination of co-education at the university level. The Shaabi bloc has nine seats and focuses on lower and middle class issues. The liberal bloc has seven members and support things like women’s suffrage. There are 16 independents and they are basically pro-government types.
Government ministers also get votes in parliament. The Constitution of Kuwait, allows for nomination of a new Emir or Crown Prince by the ruling Al-Sabah family who has to be approved by the National Assembly. The royal family must submit the name of someone who the National Assembly approves of. Also, amendments to the constitution can be proposed by the Emir but need the approval of two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly before they take effect. Occasionally, there have been conflicts between the National Assembly and the Emir and the National Assembly has been dissolved. This has been done four time: from 1976 to 1981, from 1986 to 1991 and from May 1999 to July 1999 and from March 2008 to May 2008. The last two were legal with the Assembly being reelected quickly and the first two were not. The second dissolving was done because the Kuwaitis wanted to reduce the districts.
Interestingly, two-thirds of the Kuwait's population do not have citizenship and they only gave the vote to women in 2006. In 2005, only 15% of the population could which raised the amount of people who could vote to about 30% of the population. Now Kuwaiti citizens can vote though this still leaves out a large amount of the population as it can be seen.
Kuwait has good foreign relations with most of the countries around it and because of its oil wealth has a large say in OPEC. Kuwait has strong relationships with the countries that helped in when it was invaded by Iraq like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Syria, the United States and other East Asian and European state. It’s relation with states that backed Iraq like Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, and Cuba are strained or nonexistent. It’s foreign policy is focused on it’s oil and natural gas as it’s other resources are not enough to sustain it. It is also a strong supporter of the US and it’s war in Iraq. It’s relations with Iran are good with it supporting them against the West but bad with both Israel (being opposed to the attacks in Gaza) and Yemen. They have good relations with Greece but not Denmark because of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy. It has strong trade relations with India and China.
In regards to human rights, the situation in Kuwait is mixed. The United States Department of State labeled Kuwait among the worst human trafficking offenders in 2007 because it has not worked to tackle this problem and the National Assembly passed a law unanimously that restricted women from working between 8pm and 7am except women in medical professions and that do not allow women to be in environments that “contravene with public morals” or put women in all-male environments. The press in Kuwait ranks 85th in freedom of the press but is the most free in the Middle East despite the self-censorship of local and foreign press on subjects that are implicitly taboo.
In Kuwait as in other countries there are some major political issues in the country. They are Education, Foreign workers, election reform, women’s rights, individual rights (gun-control and cross-dressing), Islamic Law, banking and finance, the Shia minority, Corruption and the Oil industry.
In regards to education, there is an issue of allowing the government to pay half of Kuwaiti’s tuition at private schools. There is also a proposal to have the mandatory retirement age of teachers of 65 be pushed back to 70. Also, the Kuwaiti cabinet is removing parts of Islamic history that show Islamic extremism or intolerance and over a ban on co-education in universities.
In regards to foreign workers, there are issues such are getting rid of Kuwait’s Foreign worker sponsorship system that requires expatriates to be sponsored by local workers in order to get a permit. Also, there is a law drafted to give citizenship to bidun (or stateless) people in the country as long as they do not have a criminal record. It is the equivalent of immigration reform. There are debates over raising the minimum wage in Kuwait, issues over dealing with human trafficking and a proposal to create a blacklist for employers who mistreat their domestic helpers. In regards to elections reform, there are debates over the recent reducing of districts from 25 to 5 and also a discussion about supporting the legitimacy of the political parties.
In regards to women’s rights, women’s sufferage, allowing women in the army and police force, the 8pm work curfew for women mentioned earlier. There was also a ban on women playing soccer that passed but it has been lifted in 2008.
In regards to individual rights, gun control and cross-dressing are big issues. After some attacks by Al-Qaeda, the parliament allowed the police to search and seize illegal weapons. A similar law was passed in 1992 but was not extended in 1994 as gun control was seen as an individual right. A bill outlawing dressing as the opposite sex was passed in December 2007 and criticized by the Human Rights Watch.
As far as Islamic law, a bill was presented to amend the state’s penal code to meet Islamic sharia law. The Education Minister Nouriya Al-Subaih has been critizcized for not wearing the hijab. The government has also been criticized for giving Christians plots of law to build churches on saying it is illegal under Islamic law. Also, Waleed Al-Tabtabaie was able to pressure the Islamic Affairs ministry to issue a fatwa banning "un-Islamic" concerts which include concerts with women singing to men, mixing between sexes where women revel body parts, vulgar words and dancing.
Also, Kuwait is having an economic crisis as well and has had a stock market bailout. This move have been criticized by Al-Qallaf. Also, a bill to bailout debtors has been rejected by the parliament of Kuwait. Also, a bill to guaranteed bank deposits has been passed and a general concern about Kuwaiti assets.
The are also issues involving the Shia minority like their churches being attacked, opposition to a Ramadan soap opera that criticizes Shia’s temporary marriage arrangement and a law that requires all Kuwaiti public and shareholding companies pay Zakat (alms to the poor, an Islamic tradition).
There are also issues of corruption in like the Kuwait Airways’s scandal were this company was headed by a member of the ruling family and was accused to wasting public funds. Also, several falcon shipments may have been imported for influential people without the proper testing. Falcons were banned because of concerns with the bird flu but that ban has been eased. Also FIFA has suspended Kuwait from international matches because of governmental interference with the national football program.
There is also tension between the Parliament and the Royal Family with parliament being dissolved just last March and calling for the grilling of Prime Minister Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah for letting a prominent Iranian Shiite cleric Mohammed al-Fali to enter Kuwait despite a legal ban. Many times, grilling can lead to a minister being called to resign and then being removed from office by Parliament.
Finally Oil is a big issue with Project Kuwait, a program to increase the country’s oil production with the help of foreign international companies. It has been argued this is against the Constitution.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
All About Kuwait
Kuwait is a small Middle East Country (slightly smaller than New Jersey) that borders the Persian Gulf and lies between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It has a climate of hot summers and short cool winters. It has four major natural resources which are petroleum, fish, shrimp, and natural gas. Major environment hazards in Kuwait are sudden cloudbursts from October to April that bring heavy rain that is strong enough to damage roads and houses and sandstorms and dust storms which occur mostly between March and August. They are dealing with issues of limited natural fresh water resources with some of the world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities providing much of their water as well as air and water pollution and desertification.
The history of Kuwait starts in 1613 when tribe in central Arabia settled the area. The tribe is known as the Bani Khalid Tribe and Kuwait became a major center for spice trading between India and Europe. By the late 18th-century, selling pearls became an important way to make a living and in 1756, the people elected Sabah I bin Jaber as the first emir of Kuwait. The ruling family in Kuwait now are descendents of Sabah I. During his rule, they became a center of trade and commerce. For a long time they also had a strong pearl industry and fleet until it was overtaken by Japan. Later, when the Ottoman Empire gained more influence in the region, Kuwait was given caza (district) status by the Ottomans. At this time Mubarak Al-Sabah was both recognized by the Ottomans and the British as ruler of this area. Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for Kuwait from 1899 until Kuwait’s independent in 1961. Later, Kuwait’s border with Saudi Arabia was clarified with the 1922 Treaty of Uqair. Oil was discovered in the 1930s and Kuwait gained influence but after the Ottoman Empire fell after World War I, the British Indian Army declared Kuwait and “independent sheikdom under British protectorate.” Finally Kuwait got independence in February 25, 1961. The oil fields in Kuwait caused it to get large investments and in 1952 it became the largest exporter of oil. However, during the 1970s, the Kuwaiti government nationalized the Kuwait Oil Company, ending its partnership with Gulf Oil and British Petroleum. Kuwait was hurt in 1982 by the Souk Al-Manakh stock market crash and a decrease in oil price but quickly rebounded and as their oil production increased to fill the gap caused by the war between Iraq and Iran. In 1990, Kuwait was overrun by Iraq for it’s support of Iran in their war and a US-led UN coalition had to come in and expel Iraq. Kuwait had to spend more than $5 billion to repair it’s oil infrastructure from that attack.
It has a population of 2,596,799 which includes 1,291,354 non-nationals to have a population of 1,305,445 nationals. The median age is 26.1 years with men being an average of 28 years of age and women an average of 22.6 years of age. The majority of the population is (70.6%) is between 15-64 years old, with 26.6% being younger and 2.9% being older. Their population growth rate is 3.59 with a birth rate of 21.9 per thousand people and a death rate of 2.37 of every thousand people. General they have more males than females but the ration is close except for 15 years and older where it’s between 1.67 and 1.78 males to every female. Their life expectancy is 77.53 years and 76.38 for males and 78.73 for females. Their fertility rate is 2.81 per woman. Their nationality is Kuwaiti with that being 45% of the population, Arabs being 35%, South Asians being 9% and Iranians being 4%. The major religion is Muslim (85%: 70% Sunni and 30% Shia) and then 15% other (Christian, Hindu, Parsi). The official language is Arabic although English is widely spoken. They have a 93.% literacy rate and are expected to school for 12 years.
Their government is a constitutional emirate (constitutional monarchy) which has 6 governorates which are divided into districts. Thus the executive branch is hereditary (the emir) or appointed (everyone else). Their constitution was approved and promulgated on November 11th, 1962. The AL-SABAH family has ruled since returning to power in 1991 and reestablished an elected legislature that in recent years has become increasingly assertive. The National Assembly consist of fifty members and is elected every four years. It is able to remove the Emir’s appointed Prime Minister or Cabinet members. Two-thirds of Kuwait do not have citizenship and thus can not vote (citizen must have been so for 20 years to vote) and it was not until 2005 that women and could vote increasing the voting population from the tend 15% of the population though members of the armed services and police still can not vote. There are no political parties as this is illegal. Other major groups that try to influence the government are: Islamists; merchants; political groups; secular liberals and pro-governmental deputies; Shia activists; tribal groups. The Judicial branch has civil law with Islamic law over personal matters. At the age of 18 there is compulsory and voluntary military service and there is an obligation until the age of 40 for 1 month annual training. They spend 5.3% of GDP on their military. Some of the major political issues in Kuwait are Education, Foreign workers, election reform, women’s rights, individual rights (gun-control and cross-dressing), Islamic Law, banking and finance, the Shia minority, Corruption and the Oil industry.
Kuwait is the richest country in the Middle East. Their currency is that Kuwaiti dinars. Oil is about half of their GDP with it making up 95% of export revenue and 80% of governmental income (since they are a tax-free society). It has had budget surpluses for ten years and Kuwait has stated it will use it’s financial assets to help stabilize the global financial crisis if needed. Their GDP is $157.9 billion with a real growth rate of 8.1% and a GDP per capita of $60,800. Their GDP is mostly focused in industry (52.2%) and Services (47.5%) with a little bit in agriculture (.3%). They have a labor force of 2.225 million although non-Kuwaitis are about 80% of it. Their unemployment rate is 2.2% and an inflation rate of 11.7%. They put 18.4% of GDP in investment with a public debt of 7.2% of their GDP. Their major agriculture produce is fish. Their major industries are petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, and construction materials. Their major export partners are Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, US, Netherlands, and China in that order. They import food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, and clothing. Their major import partners are the US, Japan, Germany, China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and the UK.
The history of Kuwait starts in 1613 when tribe in central Arabia settled the area. The tribe is known as the Bani Khalid Tribe and Kuwait became a major center for spice trading between India and Europe. By the late 18th-century, selling pearls became an important way to make a living and in 1756, the people elected Sabah I bin Jaber as the first emir of Kuwait. The ruling family in Kuwait now are descendents of Sabah I. During his rule, they became a center of trade and commerce. For a long time they also had a strong pearl industry and fleet until it was overtaken by Japan. Later, when the Ottoman Empire gained more influence in the region, Kuwait was given caza (district) status by the Ottomans. At this time Mubarak Al-Sabah was both recognized by the Ottomans and the British as ruler of this area. Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for Kuwait from 1899 until Kuwait’s independent in 1961. Later, Kuwait’s border with Saudi Arabia was clarified with the 1922 Treaty of Uqair. Oil was discovered in the 1930s and Kuwait gained influence but after the Ottoman Empire fell after World War I, the British Indian Army declared Kuwait and “independent sheikdom under British protectorate.” Finally Kuwait got independence in February 25, 1961. The oil fields in Kuwait caused it to get large investments and in 1952 it became the largest exporter of oil. However, during the 1970s, the Kuwaiti government nationalized the Kuwait Oil Company, ending its partnership with Gulf Oil and British Petroleum. Kuwait was hurt in 1982 by the Souk Al-Manakh stock market crash and a decrease in oil price but quickly rebounded and as their oil production increased to fill the gap caused by the war between Iraq and Iran. In 1990, Kuwait was overrun by Iraq for it’s support of Iran in their war and a US-led UN coalition had to come in and expel Iraq. Kuwait had to spend more than $5 billion to repair it’s oil infrastructure from that attack.
It has a population of 2,596,799 which includes 1,291,354 non-nationals to have a population of 1,305,445 nationals. The median age is 26.1 years with men being an average of 28 years of age and women an average of 22.6 years of age. The majority of the population is (70.6%) is between 15-64 years old, with 26.6% being younger and 2.9% being older. Their population growth rate is 3.59 with a birth rate of 21.9 per thousand people and a death rate of 2.37 of every thousand people. General they have more males than females but the ration is close except for 15 years and older where it’s between 1.67 and 1.78 males to every female. Their life expectancy is 77.53 years and 76.38 for males and 78.73 for females. Their fertility rate is 2.81 per woman. Their nationality is Kuwaiti with that being 45% of the population, Arabs being 35%, South Asians being 9% and Iranians being 4%. The major religion is Muslim (85%: 70% Sunni and 30% Shia) and then 15% other (Christian, Hindu, Parsi). The official language is Arabic although English is widely spoken. They have a 93.% literacy rate and are expected to school for 12 years.
Their government is a constitutional emirate (constitutional monarchy) which has 6 governorates which are divided into districts. Thus the executive branch is hereditary (the emir) or appointed (everyone else). Their constitution was approved and promulgated on November 11th, 1962. The AL-SABAH family has ruled since returning to power in 1991 and reestablished an elected legislature that in recent years has become increasingly assertive. The National Assembly consist of fifty members and is elected every four years. It is able to remove the Emir’s appointed Prime Minister or Cabinet members. Two-thirds of Kuwait do not have citizenship and thus can not vote (citizen must have been so for 20 years to vote) and it was not until 2005 that women and could vote increasing the voting population from the tend 15% of the population though members of the armed services and police still can not vote. There are no political parties as this is illegal. Other major groups that try to influence the government are: Islamists; merchants; political groups; secular liberals and pro-governmental deputies; Shia activists; tribal groups. The Judicial branch has civil law with Islamic law over personal matters. At the age of 18 there is compulsory and voluntary military service and there is an obligation until the age of 40 for 1 month annual training. They spend 5.3% of GDP on their military. Some of the major political issues in Kuwait are Education, Foreign workers, election reform, women’s rights, individual rights (gun-control and cross-dressing), Islamic Law, banking and finance, the Shia minority, Corruption and the Oil industry.
Kuwait is the richest country in the Middle East. Their currency is that Kuwaiti dinars. Oil is about half of their GDP with it making up 95% of export revenue and 80% of governmental income (since they are a tax-free society). It has had budget surpluses for ten years and Kuwait has stated it will use it’s financial assets to help stabilize the global financial crisis if needed. Their GDP is $157.9 billion with a real growth rate of 8.1% and a GDP per capita of $60,800. Their GDP is mostly focused in industry (52.2%) and Services (47.5%) with a little bit in agriculture (.3%). They have a labor force of 2.225 million although non-Kuwaitis are about 80% of it. Their unemployment rate is 2.2% and an inflation rate of 11.7%. They put 18.4% of GDP in investment with a public debt of 7.2% of their GDP. Their major agriculture produce is fish. Their major industries are petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, and construction materials. Their major export partners are Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, US, Netherlands, and China in that order. They import food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, and clothing. Their major import partners are the US, Japan, Germany, China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and the UK.
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