KUWAIT: An experiment in democracy amid oil-rich autocrats

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Persian Gulf countries might seem like slight variations on one prototype of an oil-rich state ruled by a small clan with vast unquestioned powers.

But Kuwait, a small emirate bordering Iraq, has experimented with democracy in ways that differentiate it from its neighbors.

In the past weeks, a series of protests by foreign laborers pushed the government to take steps to improve the work conditions of guest workers.

Also, the unprecedented death sentence pronounced against a member of the royal family for trafficking large amounts of drugs reinforced the Kuwaiti’s trust in the independence of their judiciary system, according to a story published today in the Los Angeles Times.

Although Kuwait’s emir, or prince, enjoys vast political powers, a national assembly elected by the people every four years has the authority to hold the government accountable. It can stop government projects it judges violate the country’s laws.

Women have also been allowed to vote and run for office since 2005. Several ministers, some belonging to the royal family, were forced to resign under popular pressure.

But implementation of democratic institutions in Kuwait has also come under criticism. Some observers fear the constant confrontation between the parliament and the cabinet has hurt Kuwait’s chances of achieving a level of economic development similar to that of other Persian Gulf countries like Qatar or the United Arab Emirates, where there is much less political freedom.

Earlier this year, a crisis between Cabinet members and lawmakers prompted the prince to dissolve the national assembly and call for parliamentary elections.

Still, according to Mohammad Al-Rumaihi, editor of the Kuwaiti newspaper Awan and a former advisor to the Kuwaiti government, Kuwait is regarded as an icon of democracy in its region. The Kuwaiti model raises fears among neighboring regimes that the democratic experiment in Kuwait might spread to their own countries and curtail their powers, he said.

Click here to read today’s article about Kuwait.

— Raed Rafei in Beirut

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