Middle East & Africa | Eighty and waity

The world’s oldest crown prince nears the throne of Kuwait

Gerontocracy is holding the emirate back

Emir of Kuwait Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (C) attends the second session of the 16th legislative term, at the parliament in Kuwait City on October 26, 2021. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

It has arguably the Arabian peninsula’s fastest-growing economy and a sovereign wealth fund worth $750bn to share among its 1.8m citizens. Parliament is freely elected—and boisterous. Prime ministers, appointed by the emir, are routinely ejected. Yet a crucial element of Kuwaiti society is sedate bordering on comatose.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Eighty and waity”

Are sanctions working?

From the August 27th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Middle East & Africa

Sudanese refugees in Chad

America concludes genocide has been committed in Sudan—again

The move highlights the magnitude of Sudan’s civil war but does little to end it

An inside view of the empty Baabda Palace

Lebanon tries yet again to elect a new president

But it will not be easy to convince its corrupt politicians to reform


A man sits in front of a destroyed building in Daraya suburb on December 25, 2024 in Damascus, Syria

The West is making a muddle of its Syria sanctions

Outsiders should be much clearer about how and when they will be lifted


Alawites formed Syria’s elite. Now they are terrified

Fear of reprisal stalks the heartlands of the Assad regime

From inside an obliterated Gaza, gunfire not a ceasefire

In north Gaza the IDF is now facing “a bitter guerrilla war”

Mozambique’s opposition leader flies home into chaos

Will Venâncio Mondlane’s arrival on January 9th deepen or ease political crisis?