Kuwait: A Nation in the Minority

Abstract

In January 2006 the Kuwaiti parliament unanimously voted to dethrone Emir Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah. Although the reason for this was the Emir’s ill health, such a step was unprecedented not only in Kuwait but region-wide. In 2005 parliament enfranchised women and declared them eligible to stand for parliamentary office. Both events can be read as important milestones in the realization of modern statehood. However, such formal legislative events do not give the full political picture.