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The Kuwaiti political scene is undergoing another of its periodic resets, with Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf Al-Sabah reappointed as prime minister, following the resignation of his government. He is expected to announce his new cabinet in the coming days, but few significant changes are expected in what will be his third government in eight months.

The Kuwaiti government has proposed cuts to capital spending but sharp rises in current expenditure as part of its budget for fiscal year 2023/24, which starts on 1 April. 

Kuwait has all but left behind its former status as a pre-eminent hub of regional diplomacy, as the leadership is widely perceived to have walked away from its role as mediator in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and its neighbours. Concerned by this apparent inaction on the regional stage, GSN has been asking: why has Kuwait apparently retired from playing such a significant diplomatic role?

Many issues that have divided senior Al-Sabahs seem to have been resolved at a major parley between opposing players in the Kuwaiti ruling family.

The lengthy and rather dismal state of Kuwait’s anti-corruption campaign continues to be a central focus in domestic politics.

Kuwaiti sources believe it is likely the government will resort to another unconstitutional resignation and cabinet reshuffle to avoid facing members of parliament (MP)’s calls for debt relief and other populist measures.

Gulf countries have despatched search and rescue teams, medical equipment, temporary housing and other relief supplies to Turkey and Syria in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit in the early hours of 6 February. Qatar and the UAE were among the first to respond; flights left from Kuwait the following day. Aid has also been forthcoming from Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Turkey’s Baykar Technology is to supply an unspecified number of its Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to Kuwait's Ministry of Defence, in a $370m deal announced in January. The deal means 28 countries have now signed contracts for the Bayraktar TB2, including Qatar.

Two defendants accused by Kuwait's Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) of paying its former director general Fahad Al-Rajaan millions of dollars in illegal commissions have failed to have the case moved from London to Switzerland.

Kuwait's ambassador to the United States Jasem Al-Budaiwi took over as secretary general of the Gulf Co-operation Council on 1 February, replacing his compatriot Nayef Al-Hajraf who had been in the post since February 2020.

Overshadowed by the events in Kuwait's parliament was a new set of amnesties for 34 critics announced by the Diwan Amiri on 19 January. The majority of those affected were either jailed or convicted in absentia for voicing criticisms of the government. Leading figures in the ruling family appear to have decided they need to do all they can to remain coherent, so they can respond to the opposition from parliament.

Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah has tendered his government's resignation, following a dispute over proposals to pay off the debts of locals and a brief boycott of the National Assembly by cabinet ministers. The country is once again facing a period of uncertainty, with no clear sign of how the structural tensions between an unelected government and a popularly-elected parliament might be resolved.

Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited Kuwait in January for what official Kuwaiti media described as a private visit but which the Bhutanese side called a royal visit. King Jigme Khesar previously visited Kuwait in February 2011. Bhutan has far more extensive links with Kuwait than with any other Gulf country.

A summit of regional leaders, held in Abu Dhabi on 18 January, appeared to be hastily arranged and did not include representatives from Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. It has nevertheless prompted widespread speculation about what may have been discussed and the meeting’s wider meaning. Such interest reflects its host’s apparently ever increasing prominence in international affairs.

Mixed outlook but oil buoys economy: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said economic growth was likely to slow down in 2023, after growing by more than 8% in 2022, thanks to higher than expected oil prices.