In 1961, shortly after independence, Amir Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah granted exceptional citizenship to Talaat Al-Ghussain, a Palestinian, in recognition of his diplomatic expertise. He joined Kuwait’s first delegation to the United Nations in 1962. He later served as Kuwait’s ambassador to Washington and other capitals. These precedents show that when states face either the challenges of nation-building or shifting strategic circumstances, citizenship can be deployed as a purposeful tool to secure vital skills and bolster state power. Gulf governments have long pursued this deliberate form of “functional naturalization”.

Kuwait today has taken a different path. Despite good intentions, its authorities have engaged in sweeping withdrawals of citizenship, often without clear distinction or nuance. It is akin to treating a mild cold with chemotherapy.

Such heavy-handed measures may ultimately cause more harm than good. A wise state does not cling rigidly to the letter of the law, but one that safeguards its spirit over its form. As a friend once remarked about his novels: “I didn’t write them for this generation. My hope lies with the generations to come.” I, too, write not for the present moment, but for tomorrow. The truth must be spoken at all times. Citizenship should never become a whip in the hand of authority. Properly deployed, it strengthens the state and its legitimacy. Stripped away arbitrarily, it weakens trust and undermines the very national interest it was meant to serve.