‘Kuwait foreign policy based on an institutional system, not one man’

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“DURING the interviews conducted by Arab satellite channels with Kuwaiti political analysts about Kuwait post the Sabah Al-Ahmad era, one question is asked repeatedly: Will the Kuwaiti foreign policy change, and will Kuwait decide to join the policy of axes in the region? Or will Kuwait continue to pursue the policy of balance, mediation and moderation?” columnist Dahem Al-Qahtani wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“Those who ask this question inevitably do not understand precisely how foreign policy is formed in Kuwait. They believe that this policy is determined by the person of the Amir, and they think that this policy is merely a reflection of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad’s desire.

“The fact that is not lost on experts in regional affairs is that foreign policy in Kuwait is determined according to several frameworks, the most important of which are the pillars that have been fixed for decades, which are balance in relations, non-interference in the affairs of others,

“In this connection, we would like hereby to point out that the fact that it must be ingrained in the minds of the experts in the affairs of the region, and it shows that the foreign policy of the State of Kuwait is within the frameworks, the most important of which is the pillars that have been built over many decades on balanced relations with various states, non interference in the internal affairs of other countries, refusal to engage in warring axes, and work through regional institutions such as the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab League, the United Nations and others.

“Among the fixed pillars of the Kuwaiti foreign policy is support for the Palestinian cause, rejection of normalization of ties with the Zionist entity, support for the choices of the Palestinian people, and rejection of any unilateral solutions that underestimate the historical Palestinian rights.

“With regard to Kuwaiti neutrality in the Gulf crisis, there are those who expect that Kuwait will not continue to play the role of mediator in this crisis, and that it will be subject to pressure from several parties with the aim of avoiding the scene completely.

“These expectations are illogical, as Kuwait is directly affected by the Gulf crisis, and it is unreasonable to leave the region to explode and as a country it will be the first to pay the price, and the preservation of the unity of the Gulf Cooperation Council requires preventing the aggravation of the Gulf crisis.

“Kuwait was and still is an acceptable mediator by the parties to the Gulf crisis and the major countries, and from regional and international organizations concerned with the crisis, and the perception that Kuwait shall relinquish its role in this connection, seems to be a forecast that is not based on real indicators.

“What some do not focus on is that Kuwait, in its mediation, prevents the two parties from continuing more stringent measures, and the Gulf crisis was restricted to being in the Gulf framework, and avoided it from turning into a regional and international crisis that allows many countries to intervene in the Gulf affairs, which is calculated for Kuwait, and what makes the abandonment of Kuwait as a mediator in the Gulf crisis is a dangerous transformation that all crisis countries may pay dearly for.

“Kuwait, on which God endowed with a historical leader such as Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, may God have mercy on him, was also blessed by God with a stable democratic system of government, in which foreign policy is made according to an institutional system, not an individual, and according to fixed pillars that are not subject to random transformations, nor to external pressures, no matter how great they are.”

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“His Highness the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad in spite of his demise, his great actions, shall remain a witness about his humanitarian achievements and actions,” columnist Abdulmohsen Al-Husseini wrote for Al-Anba daily.

“He was always seeing that the Arabs have nothing to do with the policies of their governments and saw it as his duty to assist them to help them overcome their torments caused by poverty.

“Consequently, His Highness, we pray to Almighty Allah to bestow His mercy upon him, called for holding of the donors conference in the State of Kuwait in 2013 to support the humanitarian situation in Syria and in the name of the State of Kuwait donated $300 million. In 2014 he also called for a second conference for donors to support the Syrian people. In 2015 he donated $500 million and called for a third donor conference to support the humanitarian situation in Syria.

 “In 2018, Kuwait hosted the Iraq Reconstruction Conference, which aims to collect funds from international donors to support efforts to build the areas damaged by the war against ISIS. It also provided support to the Palestinians, which is continuous support from Kuwait, and the Amir of Humanity has many projects that he contributed to building with many Arab and friendly countries, and he also did not give up helping the poor of Africa, so he always participated in any projects to save these peoples who are in dire need of help.

“These humanitarian actions accomplished by the leader of the humanitarian work are what qualified him for the United Nations to grant him the title of leader of humanitarian work and to choose Kuwait as a center for humanitarian work.

“His Highness the late Amir helped Syria and did not care about political disputes, and he had refused to send any forces to Syria because he refused to expose the Arab peoples to war, and despite what Saddam Hussein committed against Kuwait, our great deceased leader believed that the Iraqi people were also affected by Saddam Hussein’s actions.

“His Highness called for holding a donor conference to reconstruct Iraq and support efforts to build areas affected by ISIS sabotaging Iraqi areas, which caused the eviction of many Iraqi citizens from their homes due to the destruction.

“These humanitarian actions will bear witness to the achievements of His Highness the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad in the humanitarian field and this is what makes his memory remain in the hearts of Arab and friendly peoples.

“There is no doubt that these actions contributed to creating a good reputation for Kuwait, and this is what made it stand among the ranks of civilized countries which is a tribute to the leader of humanitarian action that history will immortalize throughout the ages.

“Meanwhile, the State of Kuwait, is pleased by the ascension of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad, we pray to Almighty Allah to help him to continue in his constructive march of goodness to carry out development projects in the country and Arab countries that need support, given the fact the confidence of the Kuwaiti people in His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad is enormous and this shall help him walk the Kuwaiti road of evolution and development.”

“A series of scandals has almost shaken the credibility of the Ministry of Interior and the confidence of the public in this vital entity. We are yet to comprehend the initial ruling in the case related to embezzlement of the ministry’s hospitality funds for which many of the ministry’s employees have been implicated. This is besides the crimes of human trafficking and the association of the Bangladeshi MP with some officials in the ministry. This had shocked all of us,” columnist Waleed Abdullah Al-Ghanim wrote for Aljarida daily.

“While people focused on the two issues – ‘hospitality’ and the Bangladeshi MP, leakage of information happened in the State Security Department. It seemed as if it was meant to undermine public’s respect for this apparatus, which is in charge of the safety of the homeland, and to prevent contradictions in the decisions taken by the security apparatus.

“For instance, a decision was issued to render one of the officials involved in the aforementioned scandal to retirement. About 12 hours later, the decision was withdrawn, which spooked MP Adel Al-Dakhmi to the point of filing for a vote of no-confidence against the Minister of Interior for the way the official was handled by the security organs to the extent that he disappeared for a week and his whereabouts was not known even by his family.

“What is going on in the Ministry of Interior? What kind of mentality has been prevailing in this ministry in the past years? We are certain that there are honest, sincere and patriotic men and women working in the Ministry of Interior, but they have been fought off by opportunists and influential people who would do anything to get into a position or rather a rank that will allow them to abuse their power at the expense of the public interest.

“Our message to the esteemed government is to remedy what is happening in the Ministry of Interior so that its prestige, dignity and rigor can be restored in order to enable it to exercise its correct role in serving the people and the country with complete neutrality and high efficiency, as well as to restore the society’s confidence away from the drift in political conflicts or directing its actions to benefit personal interest in elections or any other personal unpatriotic aspirations.”

“Unit time canceled, not a shuffle?!  What is this prudence and jealousy over the safety and interest of the homeland, overcoming dangers, the safety of voters and candidates, and all those participating in the electoral process, such that two parliamentarians affiliated with a specific group came forward with a strange proposal?” columnist Iqbal Al-Ahmad wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“When the two distinguished MPs – Osama Al-Shaheen and Muhammad Al-Dalal – proposed to ‘abolish’, they noted ‘cancellation’, not a re-study or amendment of honor and trust crimes stipulations in the Election Law, under the pretext that it is ‘according to’ their point of view and that of the group where they belong, adding it leads to deprivation of many parties.

“The important question is: Who have been deprived of their candidacy opportunities because of honor and trust crimes?!

“Then, what is the relationship of this catastrophe presented by the two lawmakers with the dangers, disasters, epidemics and spread of communicable diseases, as stated in the preamble of the proposal?

“Yes, I expressed my view on the need to open a new page and national reconciliation this time, because in the period you are currently going through, Kuwait calls for ending differences and starting over.  However, this does not mean that whoever commits honor or trust crime against his family, community or country is equal with those whose files were and remain clean as they abide by the law and morals throughout their lives or membership.”

­— Compiled by Zaki Taleb

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