Ben's Blog

March ’25

At a recent gathering of stakeholders in the Middle East someone took this ‘happy snap.’

Pick the odd one out.

One of these people is not a smiling assassin.

Hint – One assassin is not smiling.

          One person is smiling but is not an assassin.

The swarthy looking dude on the left is representing Kuwait, a tiny emirate, (kingdom) at the northern tip of the Persian Gulf, nestled between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It is a constitutional monarchy, just like Australia, but not much like Australia. The Emir’s role  is similar to the role of the president in the U.S. or France, but more authoritarian.

According to their friends in the U.S. state department,

‘Kuwait has significant human rights issues included credible reports of: torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by government agents; arbitrary arrest or detention; political prisoners and detainees; serious restrictions on free expression and media freedom, including censorship and the existence of criminal libel laws; serious restrictions on internet freedom; substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, including overly restrictive laws on the organization, funding, or operation of nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations; restrictions on freedom of movement and residence within the territory of a state and the right to leave the country; inability of citizens to change their government peacefully through free and fair elections; serious government corruption; serious government restrictions on or harassment of domestic and international human rights organizations; extensive gender-based violence, including domestic or intimate partner violence sexual violence, workplace violence, and other forms of such violence; trafficking in persons, including forced labour; laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults, which were enforced; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons.’

Kuwait is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council – including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. They are all Monarchies ranging from absolute Monarchies to not so absolute Monarchies. They all have similar abysmal human rights records. They all have the death penalty, which they apply liberally. (not like Liberals, more like sun screen) They all got filthy rich by finding oil, that’s why love them. Saudi Arabia however, is in a league of its own.  Not only is it an absolute Monarchy, but almost everyone at every level of government is a member of the Saudi Royal family. The number of princes is estimated to be at least 7000. There are 15,000 members of the royal family, including the lesser mortals. Every member of the Royal family gets $500,000 U.S. per year in ‘pocket money.’ The entire country is basically run as a family business.

Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council

__________________________________________________________

Ben Boyang March ’25

Further reading – Saudi Arabia