Kuwait‘s Political System:

Part 1: The Al Sabah Family

The dissolution of the Kuwaiti Parliament and the call for new elections on July 3 has enlivened Kuwaiti politics (already the only real politics in the Arab Gulf states), but the early weeks of the campaign have been dominated by one major story: the Amir’s move to give voting and other political rights to Kuwaiti women. The move has been criticized in some Islamist circles, leading to counter-criticism by women’s activists and liberals, and has done much to divert attention from what otherwise would have seemed almost certain to be an issue in the election: the domination of governments by the ruling family. Although the Parliament was brought down on a peripheral issue (a controversy over misprints in the Qur’an), the primary focus of quarrels between Cabinets and Parliament has been the issue of Parliamentary questioning, and investigation, of Cabinet officials, especially those who happen to be members of the ruling Al Sabah family. Since these almost invariably include the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Interior, Finance, and currently, Oil, Parliamentary investigation of almost any major issue necessarily entails questioning a Sabah, and the ruling family has been very cautious about encouraging that. It is perhaps particularly interesting then, that the Sabahs have found a way to shift discussion to a whole different subject — political rights for women — and at the same time paint themselves, hereditary rulers, as more liberal than the elected Parliament. It is a reminder that the ruling families of the Gulf, however anachronistic they may seem in the West, are not without either political skills or other resources.

Kuwait has always been a bit different from the other Gulf emirates. By Kuwaiti historical tradition,

Painting of the Al Sabah Rulers 20th Century rulers from Mubarak the Great (top) to sheikh Jabir (lower right) and Crown Prince Sa’d (lower left) (Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site, www.mofa.com.

the first of the Al Sabah was chosen as leader when a group of tribes settled on the bay of Kuwait in the early 18th century; the other tribes became the other great merchant families an tribal groups who dominated Kuwait thereafter. There was always some collective role, and the Sabah’s ascendancy was recent enough in time that it was remembered that they ruled not by some divine right but by consensus of the Kuwaiti elite. Nor is Kuwait going to be a democracy when women get the vote (by the elections due in 2003, barring Parliamentary action to block it): the franchise is still limited to those Kuwaitis whose families have been in the country for generations. “Immigrants”, event third or fourth generation, are still excluded.

But for all its limitations, Kuwait’s political system is the most open in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and for all its vicissitudes (including long periods of direct rule after the Parliamentary suspensions of 1976 and 1986), Kuwait has a parliamentary life and a competitive election system, one that appears likely to be broadened to include women. (It is true, however, that Qatar’s proposed Parliament, which will be the GCC’s second elected parliament when it is crated, and which will include women as voters and perhaps as candidates, may well be chosen before Kuwaiti women exercise the vote in 2003.)

This Dossier introduces some of the complexities of, and forces arrayed within, Kuwait’s political system. It consists of two parts: Part 1, in this issue, looks at the role of, and the personalities within, the Al Sabah; Part 2, in the next issue, looks at the Parliament and the political factions (not officially parties), and the dynamics of their interaction with the government.

K uwait, like many of the other small states of the Gulf, began its modern history as a pearling and trading port — the bay is the finest in the Gulf — later enhanced by the discovery of oil. Its early history was one of delicately balancing  between the Wahhabi movement next door, which gave rise to Saudi Arabia, the Ottomans, who ruled in what is now Iraq, and Britain, which dominated the naval access to the Gulf. If we substitute modern Iraq for the Ottomans and the US for the UK, the geopolitical equation is not all that different today.

Kuwait’s social fabric — Sunni vs. Shi‘i, urban vs. tribal, native vs. expatriate — will be examined next time, when we examine the makeup of Parliament. This Dossier deals with the House of Sabah.

The House of Sabah

Traditionally, 1756 is considered the date when Sabah was named as the leader of a group of tribe of the Bani Utub who had settled around the Bay of Kuwait. Since then, all rulers have been in the Sabah line, chosen by family council.

The crucial transitional figure in modern Kuwaiti history is Mubarak al-Kabir or Mubarak the Great (ruler 1896-1915), who took power in the usual Gulf manner of the time (by killing his half-brother the ruler). Since the Ottomans had been supporting his predecessor, Mubarak moved to strengthen his ties with Britain, and in 1899 signed the first agreement which would lead to virtual Protectorate status, with the British assuming control over Kuwait’s foreign affairs and defense. The Sabahs always retained internal control. (Mubarak the Great also gave asylum to the deposed ruler of the Najd, ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Al Sa‘ud, the man known as “Ibn Saud” in the West and subsequently the founder of Saudi Arabia. Kuwaitis have not forgotten this, though the Saudis would be quick to note that they provided asylum to the Sabahs in 1990 when Iraq occupied Kuwait.)

Mubarak the Great also marks the transition from the old tradition of brothers overthrowing brother (how he himself came to power) and the installation of a new, peaceable system of succession. His two eldest sons, Sheikh Jabir (ruler 1915-17) and Sheikh Salim (ruler 1917-21) succeeded him, and on the death of Sheikh Salim, Sheikh Jabir’s son Ahmad (ruler 1921-50) succeeded. When Ahmad died in 1950 the rule reverted to ‘Abdallah al-Salim of the other line (ruler 1950-65), a man widely considered the true father of Kuwait in the oil age (and the man who inaugurated the first Parliament). This Sheikh ‘Abdullah was father of the present Crown Prince. The one exception to the principle of rotation between the “Jabir” and the “Salim” lines occurred in the 1960s, when Sheikh ‘Abdallah was succeeded by his brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Salim (ruler 1965-77, father of the present Defense Minister). In 1977 the Amirship retroverted to the Jabir line and Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad Al Sabah took over. He still rules, but his powerful Crown Prince, Sheikh Sa‘d al-Ahmad, who like all Crown Princes is also Prime Minister, is from the Salim line. (The Arabic name in this case is Salim with a long “a”: SA-lim, not sa-LEEM with a long “i”.)

The Sabah family has traditionally assigned most of the key Cabinet positions — the Foreign, Defense, Interior, and Finance ministries almost always, and often (as now) Oil and Information as well — to members of the extended family. This has led to a fairly consistent pattern of conflict with Parliament, especially when a critical parliament wants to exercise its right to question Cabinet ministers who, it just happens, are also members of the ruling family. That was almost certainly what brought the last Parliament down (See The Estimate, May 7, 1999).

Some Key Sabahs

Most of the Sabah family holding key ministerial positions belong to either the Jabir or the Salim lines, the two descents from Mubarak the Great which with one exception have alternated in the Amirship. There are a few prominent officials from collateral lines: Oil Minister Sheikh Sa‘ud al-Nasir descends from an older brother of Mubarak the Great.

A brief guide to some (by no means all) of the key figures:

Amir Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad Al Sabah

Sheikh Jabir The official portrait dates from his days as Crown Prince

Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad Al Sabah succeeded to the throne of Kuwait on December 31, 1977,  on the death of Sheikh Sabah al-Salim Al Sabah. Sheikh Jabir is in the Jabir line of descent from Mubarak the Great (1896-1915) through his son Sheikh Jabir (1915-1917), and his son Sheikh Ahmad (1921-1950), the present ruler’s grandfather and father, who both ruled in their turn.

Sheikh Jabir was born, by most accounts, in 1929, when his father Sheikh Ahmad was ruler of Kuwait. His mother, Sheikha Bibi Salim Al Sabah, was a royal cousin. After education in local private schools and from palace tutors, he became Chief of Public Security in the al-Ahmadi oilfields in 1949. In the late 1950s he dealt with the oil companies in various capacities, and in 1959 became head of the Department of Finance, which in 1962, after Kuwaiti independence, became the Ministry of Finance. In 1963-65 he also was a Deputy Prime Minister, while remaining Minister of Finance and Industry.

When Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-Salim Al Sabah died in 1964, the Amirship did not revert to the Jabir branch of the family, as had been traditional, but went to Sheikh Sabah al-Salim, Sheikh ‘Abdullah’s brother (ruled 1965-1977). To guarantee that the succession would be passed back to the Jabir line, Sheikh Jabir was named Sheikh Sabah’s heir apparent, and, in keeping with traditional practice, also became Prime Minister.

Sheikh Jabir Last November  (US DOD photo)

As Minister of Finance and Crown Prince, Sheikh Jabir had a reputation as a vigorous, dynamic figure in politics and was also active as a swimmer and horseback rider. Today his age (about 71) and health have made him something of a frail, retiring figure, but the official portrait usually seen in Kuwait is still a portrait taken when he was Crown Prince, prior to 1977.

Sheikh Jabir has a reputation as one of the most-married Gulf rulers (a fact used against him by the Iraqis in 1990-1991): he has followed the old Gulf tradition of keeping up to four wives at a time and divorcing and remarrying, in order to cement key tribal alliances. He is understood to have a large number of children.

Crown Prince/Prime Minister Sheikh Sa’d al-’Abdullah Al Sabah

Kuwait’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister since early 1978 has been Sheikh Sa‘d al-‘Abdullah Al Sabah, son of the late Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-Salim Al Sabah (ruler, 1950-1964), and thus the heir to the other, Salim line of descent from Mubarak the Great. His picture almost invariably appears along with that of the Amir (as in the painting, above). More gregarious and outgoing than the Amir, he usually has a smile on his face, and gives a less austere impression than that of his cousin the ruler. That has not made him a popular figure, however: while he is popular in some quarters, his background in police and security and his reported suspicion of Parliament have led to his being disliked in others.

Sheikh Sa‘d

Sheikh Sa‘d was born in 1929 (some accounts say 1930), the eldest son of Sheikh ‘Abdullah, years before Sheikh ‘Abdullah himself took the throne, however. Sa‘d’s mother Jamila was of African origin, accounting for the dark coloration of the Crown Prince. After initial studies in Kuwait, Sheikh Sa‘d studied at the Hendon Police School in Great Britain, returning in 1945 to work for the Metropolitan Police in Kuwait. His uncle, Sheikh Sabah al-Salim, was at that time head of the police, and Sa‘d became deputy head.. (Sheikh Sabah al-Salim became ruler in 1965.) When in 1959 the Police and the Public Security Department were combined, Sheikh Sa‘d became Deputy Commander under Sheikh ‘Abdullah Mubarak Al Sabah. In 1961, with independence, Sheikh Sa‘d became Chief of Police and Public Security. In 1962 those functions were merged into the Interior Ministry and he was named Minister of the Interior, a post he held until 1978. From 1964 until 1978 he was also Minister of Defense.

At the beginning of 1978, after Sheikh Jabir became Amir, Sheikh Sa‘d became Crown Prince and Prime Minister, assuring that the Amirship would pass once again to the Salim side of the family.

He is married to Sheikha Latifa Fahad Al Sabah, and has one son and four daughters. His hobbies are fishing, gardening, and photography.

Foreign Minister/Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah

Because Sheikh Jabir, as Amir, has been a somewhat retiring sort, his brother, Sabah al-Ahmad, has often been the more visible representative of the Jabir side of the family. Known as a defender of Parliament, he has also been the country’s Foreign Minister since 1963. He is often seen as a rival/opponent of Sheikh Sa‘d, and would most likely become the Crown Prince if Sheikh Sa‘d became Amir, to retain succession alternating between the Jabir and Salim lines.

Sheikh Sabah

Sheikh Sabah was born about 1929, and is slightly younger than his brother the ruler. In 1955 he became head of the Department of Social Affairs and also of the Department of Printing and Publishing; after independence he was Minister of Guidance and News, and then in 1963 became Minister of Foreign Affairs. He headed Kuwait’s delegation seeking admission to the UN (blocked for two years after 1961 by Iraq), and has been Foreign Minister since then. At the same time he has held other posts: Acting Minister of Finance and Oil in 1965-67, Acting Minister of the Interior briefly in 1978; Acting Minister of Information in 1971-75 and again in 1981-82, and Minister of Information 1982-85. He has been Deputy Prime Minister since 1978, and is currently First Deputy Prime Minister. His wife, Futuwwa Salman Hamud Al Sabah, is a family relation and the mother of his two sons and one daughter.

Defense Minister/Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Salim al-Sabah al-Salim Al Sabah

The current Minister of Defense, and also a Deputy Prime Minister, is Sheikh Salim al-Sabah al-Salim Al Sabah, a first cousin of the Crown Prince in the Salim line. Born June 18, 1937, he was the son of Sheikh Sabah al-Salim (ruled 1965-77) by Munira al-‘Adwani. He read law at Gray’s Inn and took courses at Oxford, and in 1962 joined the new Kuwaiti Foreign Service. In 1964 he headed the Political Department of the Foreign Ministry, served as Ambassador to the UK in 1965-70 and to the US and Canada in 1970-75. From 1975-78 he served as Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, and from 1978-87 as Minister of Defense. He then became Interior Minister and served in that post through the Gulf War. He is now Defense Minister once again. His wife, Sheikha Badria, is a member of the Sabah family; they have several children.

Some other Sabahs in the Cabinet:

Sa’‘ud Nasir Al Sabah is well known in the West, having served as Ambassador to London and then to the United States during the Gulf War. Since then he served as Minister of Information until last year, when, under fire from Parliament, he resigned, but was rewarded with the even more influential Ministry of Oil. He is a descendant of a brother of Mubarak the Great, not of one of the two main lines of the present family.

‘Ali Salim Al Sabah is currently Minister of Finance and Communications; efforts by Parliament to question him are believed to be among the real motives for the dissolution.

Muhammad al-Khalid al-Hamad Al Sabah is the current Minister of the Interior.

Salim ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Al Sabah is the current Governor of the Central Bank.

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