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Promoting democracy? The reality of British foreign policy in Kuwait and the Gulf
Why has our government been silent on the months-long shutdown of Kuwait’s parliament – and why do academics so often refrain from criticising countries in the region, asks IAN SINCLAIR
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ON MAY 10 2024 the hereditary head of state of Kuwait, a close ally of Britain and the US, suspended the nation’s parliament.

Announcing the closure could last up to four years, in a televised address Emir Mishal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who will rule by decree during this period, said he would not allow democracy to be “exploited to destroy the state.” The political system would be studied and revisions proposed, he said, followed by “whatever decisions we might deem appropriate.”

As the Washington Post noted in a June editorial: “Such remarks sound worryingly similar to what any number of would-be autocrats have said when annulling election outcomes.”

Liberation webinar, 30 November2024, 6pm (UK)
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