Kuwait Emir Calls for “Cooperation, Cohesion, & Loyalty”

After Kuwait witnessed large scale protests last weekend, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed called on citizens to remain unified. “If Kuwait is lost, we too are lost, but if it remains, we remain with it. Kuwait should and shall remain for us, our sons, our grandsons and the next generations thanks to our cooperation, cohesion and loyalty,” the Emir said. The protests caused the Kuwaiti government to ban gatherings of more than 20 people. According to opposition websites, further protests are scheduled for November 4 despite the protest ban.

Earlier in the week, the U.S. State Department urged the Kuwaiti government and opposition “to exercise restraint, to approach their differences peacefully and in a manner that’s consistent with the Kuwaiti constitution and rule of law, including the universal rights of Kuwaitis to peacefully assemble and to express themselves.”

Meanwhile, Kristin Diwan writes that Kuwaitis “have a reverence for constitutional order and expect healthy constraints on power,” but that the opposition must “earn the public’s trust in their leadership.” Diwan adds, “To force more concessions and to achieve the increased parliamentary control they are seeking, the opposition needs to show restraint and strategic timing.”