Sabah, Kuwait, and the Future of the Gulf

Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (Wikimedia Commons)

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 91, died on September 29. He passed in the United States, where he had undergone treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota since July. 

Sheikh Sabah, widely regarded as a statesman, peacemaker, and voice of wisdom in a region ravaged by conflict, garnered UN Secretary General António Guterres’ heartfelt condolences, who called him “an extraordinary symbol of wisdom and generosity, a messenger of peace, a bridge builder.” After falling ill, Sabah received an outpouring of support across the Middle East, and leaders around the world eulogized him after his death. 

The late Emir’s Kuwait played a pivotal role in regional diplomacy—raising funds to support war-torn Syria, normalizing relations with Iraq after its invasion by the US, and leading the charge to rebuild Iraq after its conflict with the Islamic State. 

Sheikh Sabah also ardently supported the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and fought to end a blockade of Qatar imposed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates in 2017 after charges that Qatar supported terrorism and had uncofntably close ties with Iran. 

In an effort to end this blockade, the deceased ruler coordinated with the U.S. (a close ally ever since the U.S. repelled Iraqi troops from Kuwait in 1991). Owing largely to the Emir’s diplomacy, the U.S. now has cautious optimism about ending the blockade, which it sees as a barrier to a united front against Iran.  

Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Sabah, the 83-year-old half-brother of Sheikh Sabah, followed his sibling to become Kuwait’s new Emir on September 30. Some experts, such as Cinzia Bianco, a research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, argue that “al-Ahmed should be viewed more as a caretaker than as a watershed new leader.” Such a leader, Bianco contends, will more likely emerge from the pool of young princes angling to succeed this transitional figure.