A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Monday, May 18, 2009

Greg Gause on Kuwait's Elections

F. Gregory Gause of the University of Vermont is one of the best-informed Gulf watchers out there, and he has an analysis up of the Kuwaiti election results, written from Kuwait where he is at the moment, that seems to touch all the bases, over at Marc Lynch's Foreign Policy blog. It saves me from having to write a far-less-informed analysis of the same, and who wants to do that on a Monday morning? I humbly refer you to his analysis.

I will note that, like everyone else, I'm delighted that four women will, for the first time, be among the 50 deputies. Especially since women only got the vote four years ago, and that after the Amir insisted: Parliament itself was not so enthusiastic. Too many countries in the Arab world still have to ensure women's presence in Parliament by having Presidential appointments of a few women; I'm glad Kuwaiti women can make it on their own. For the more complex issues, Greg Gause's analysis is excellent, I think, and he knows the country far better than I.

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