Kuwait’s Supreme Court orders new parliamentary vote

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Kuwait’s Supreme Court dissolved the parliament on Sunday and called for new parliamentary elections to be held under a new voting system, in a move that will likely escalate the political standoff between the government and the opposition. In a televised speech, Kuwait's emir called on Kuwaitis to accept the changes to the voting system, urging them to reject "the voices of chaos." Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah called on Kuwaitis “to respect [the Supreme...

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Debate: Iranian policy is not radicalizing the Gulf’s Shi’ites

When responding to accusations that Iran's expansionist regional ambitions are a major source of Shi'ite radicalization in the region, any individual Shi'ite will, no doubt, say that there is no evidence of direct Iranian intervention in his everyday life, or his government's decision-making process. The Shi'ite presence in the Gulf States is not politicized or attributed to any specific side, nor has there been any shift from a state of tranquility to one of sectarian activism. This is somethin...

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