11. Kuwait: At the Crossroads of Change or Political Stagnation
- Author:
- Shafeeq Ghabra
- Publication Date:
- 05-2014
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Though Kuwaitis have been striving for change, particularly since 2011, their country’s political structures remain more or less unaltered. Yet change is inevitable, writes Shafeeq Ghabra in this MEI Policy Paper. At issue is a semi-democratic system that has proven ineffective at dealing with problems such as government mismanagement, corruption, a lack of economic transparency, and inequality toward tribes and undocumented immigrants. Ghabra argues that if change is not initiated by the state, peaceful demonstrations will continue to push the government toward rationalizing the political process, allowing more freedoms, and developing Kuwait's democracy by amending its 52-year-old constitution.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Politics, Social Movement, Reform, and Democracy
- Political Geography:
- Kuwait and Gulf Nations