08/08/2025
Share:
08/08/2025
Share:
There is a quiet but growing concern about the direction of Kuwait’s diplomacy. This concern does not stem from a single crisis but from a slow and steady unraveling of purpose. The problem is not external pressure or geopolitical obstacles. The issue lies within. Too often, diplomatic posts are treated as symbolic gestures rather than serious strategic assignments. Individuals are chosen based on surface-level qualifications while deeper attributes like judgment, experience, and policy fluency are overlooked.
The result is a foreign service that occupies space but rarely shapes it. Kuwait today lacks a compelling presence in some of the world’s most important capitals. These are places where diplomacy should be sharp and strategic, yet we remain underrepresented or misrepresented. This failure is not due to a lack of resources or opportunity. It reflects a deeper issue of institutional neglect. Nearly twenty years ago, Kuwait established a Diplomatic Institute with the goal of building a strong and skilled foreign service. Despite having been led by senior officials and backed by public funding, the institute has not delivered on its promise. It has not built a generation of diplomats who are ready for the complexity of today’s world.
There is little to show in terms of leadership, vision, or capacity. At the same time, many of Kuwait’s most seasoned diplomats have been sidelined. These are individuals who built their careers when cities like Baghdad, Cairo, Beirut, and Damascus were centers of regional influence. Their exclusion today reflects a troubling shift in priorities. Language skills are increasingly treated as the main qualification for foreign service, while decades of hard-earned experience are undervalued. This is not a personal grievance. It is a call to reflect. Any institution that refuses to recognize its shortcomings cannot hope to correct them. Pretending that all is well only delays the moment of reckoning. And that delay comes at a cost. Foreign policy is not a performance.
It is a serious business that determines how a country is seen, heard, and respected. If we continue to treat it as an afterthought, Kuwait’s influence will fade, no matter how rich its history is. Reform does not begin with policies or plans. It begins with honesty. It requires asking whether the people we send abroad are prepared to protect our interests, build alliances, and respond to challenges with intelligence and authority. I write with a sense of hope, not despair. Like many writers, I do not expect my words to change the present. But I hope they will matter in the future. One day, a generation will look back and ask why things fell apart. I want them to know that some people saw it coming and chose to speak. Even in a time of silence, there were still voices trying to make a difference.
By Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Anjeri
