Kuwait's new crown prince, Sabah Khalid, is 71 years old.
On June 1, 2024, the Kuwaiti royal family took a historic and surprising moment when Emir (head of state) Al-Mishal appointed his nephew Sabah Khalid as crown prince.
Sabah Khalid was born on March 3, 1953, and is now 71 years old. Sabah Khalid is the grandson of Ahmed, the 10th emir of Kuwait, and Sabah Khalid's mother, Muza Ahmad Al-Sabah, is the sister of the current Emir al-Mishal.
1. Mishale breaks with tradition
The 84-year-old Mishale has been the focus of media and public attention on who will be appointed crown prince since he succeeded as emir in December 2023. There are two former prime ministers who are popular candidates for the crown prince, one is Ahmed, the 68-year-old nephew of Mishaal, who belongs to the Jaber branch of the royal family and is the eldest son of the 16th emir Nawaf. The other is Mishaal's cousin Mohammed, 69 years old, belonging to the Salim branch of the royal family, the son of the 12th emir Sabah. Public opinion generally believes that the crown prince will be selected between these two people.
According to the Kuwaiti constitution, the new emir has one year to appoint the crown prince. In recent months, the struggle between the two major branches of Jaber and Salim over the crown prince has become increasingly fierce. Sabah Khalid was appointed crown prince by surprises from the media and the public.
Sabah Khalid belongs to the side Hamad branch of the royal family. In recent years, a number of members of the branch have held important positions such as Prime Minister, First Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Home Affairs. The Hamad branch has become an important political force in the royal family, second only to the two major branches of Jaber and Salim.
In the royal family, Sabah Khalid is both Mishaal's nephew and Mishaal's cousin. Islamic countries, especially in the Arabian Peninsula, are generally open to consanguineous marriages, including marriages between cousins, cousins, cousins, and cousins, and consanguineous marriages are seen as a way to preserve family property. Traditionally, in Arab culture, marriage within the family helps to maintain the internal flow of wealth and avoid the outflow of wealth.
The Emir of Kuwait, Mishaal, succeeded to the throne on December 16, 2023, is 84 years old.
2. Sabah Khalid has extensive experience in politics
The contrast between Mishaal's appointment of Sabah Khalid as crown prince and the Gulf monarchies is a bit out of place. In recent years, the succession to the throne of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman has been adjusted from "brother to brother" to "father to son". Kuwait's rare phenomenon of a nephew succeeding to the throne of his uncle will be the focus of continued attention.
Sabah Khalid received his bachelor's degree in political science from Kuwait University in 1977. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978 and began his political career. From 1983 to 1989, he was a member of the Permanent Mission of Kuwait to the United Nations. From 1995 to 1998, he was Ambassador of Kuwait to Saudi Arabia. From 1998 to 2006, he served as Director General of the National Security Agency.
From July 2006 to October 2011, Sabah Khalid served as Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, and then as Minister of Information. From October 2011 to November 2019, Sabah Khalid served as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, and then as First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary. From November 19, 2019 to July 24, 2022, Sabah Khalid served as Prime Minister.
Sabah Khalid became crown prince because, on the one hand, he has a lot of political experience and is not affected by the corruption problems that plague other potential crown prince candidates; On the other hand, because of his background, he has a close relationship with Mishale, and he was not involved in the power struggle between the two branches of the royal family, Jaber and Salim.
3. Expose divisions within the royal family
Sabah Khalid's ascension to the crown prince also exposes another important question, namely the future prospects of the Salim branch of the royal family, which means that the Salim branch continues to be excluded from the throne of the emir.
Kuwait is a hereditary monarchy, the emir is the head of state and the supreme commander of the armed forces, and all laws and treaties and agreements with foreign countries can only enter into force after the emir ratifies them. The Amir has the power to appoint and remove the Prime Minister and, on the nomination of the Prime Minister, to appoint and remove Cabinet Ministers. Since the 7th Emir Mubarak, the emir has been a descendant of Mubarak's two sons, Jaber and Salim, respectively, thus forming the two major branches of what became Jaber and Salim. According to tradition, one party served as the emir and the other as the crown prince. But since the beginning of the new century, the 13th Emir Jaber, the 15th Emir Sabah, the 16th Emir Nawaf and the 17th and current Emir Mishal all came from the Jaber line, and the 14th Emir Saad, who was only briefly in office for 10 days, belonged to the Salim line.
Previously, public opinion generally believed that among the popular candidates for the crown prince, Mohammed of the Salim branch had the highest probability of becoming the crown prince. But with Mohammed ending his short three-month term as prime minister on April 15, 2024, his ability to govern has not been recognized by the royal family, and his hopes of becoming crown prince have been dashed. Although Sabah Khalid was born in a collateral line, his mother belonged to the Jaber line. In fact, in recent years, the Jaber branch has been in the upper hand in succession to the throne, and the Salim branch is in danger of being marginalized.
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Ahmed Abdullah, 72 years old.
4. Stabilize the situation as soon as possible
On April 15, 2024, Mishal announced the appointment of his nephew Ahmad Abdullah as the new prime minister and tasked him with forming a cabinet. On May 12, the formation of a new cabinet was completed. Ahmed Abdullah was born in 1952 and is now 72 years old and belongs to the Jaber branch of the royal family. He has served as Minister of Finance, Transport, and Petroleum, and has been Chief of Staff of the Crown Prince since 2021.
Since Mishale succeeded as emir, the rivalry between the two branches over the succession to the throne has become increasingly open. Mishale is aware of the seriousness of the problem, and with the appointment of a new prime minister and a new crown prince, Mishale has built a new power structure. Mishale hopes that this move will end the fierce power struggle within the royal family as soon as possible and stabilize the political situation. But Kuwait's leadership is aging, and power struggles within the royal family are ongoing.
In short, Mishale completely broke with the tradition of the two major branches taking turns in power for more than 100 years, and the selection of the crown prince from the side line is conducive to avoiding the further expansion of the contradictions between the two branches, and embodies Mishaler's idea that "national interests are above all else."
Kuwait is rich in oil reserves, with proven oil reserves of 14 billion tons, ranking seventh in the world.