Sabah, Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al- (1929-2020), usually called Sheikh Sabah, was emir (leader) of Kuwait from 2006 to 2020. He had previously served as Kuwait’s foreign minister from 1963 to 2003.
Sheikh Sabah was born on June 6, 1929, as the fourth son of Emir Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah. He was educated in Kuwait. After holding a number of government positions, Sheikh Sabah became foreign minister in 1963. His foreign policy included efforts to build ties with other countries in the Middle East and in other parts of the world. He was influential in Kuwait’s participation in such international organizations as the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the United Nations.
In 1990, Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait. Sheikh Sabah worked with the international community and the United States to form a coalition that ended the Iraqi occupation in 1991. In 2003, Kuwait allowed U.S.-led international forces to invade Iraq from its territory and overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. In July, Sheikh Sabah was appointed prime minister by Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, his half-brother.
When Sheikh Jaber died on Jan. 15, 2006, Crown Prince Saad al-Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah automatically became emir. But Sheikh Saad was ill, and parliament voted to remove him from the throne. He abdicated soon after. The cabinet nominated Sheikh Sabah to become the new emir. On January 29, the parliament unanimously approved the nomination, and Sheikh Sabah was sworn in.
Later in 2006, Kuwaiti women voted and ran for office in national elections for the first time, under a law passed under Sheikh Sabah’s leadership the previous year. Also in 2006, Kuwait reversed a law against public gatherings. In 2009, three women won seats in parliamentary elections, becoming Kuwait’s first female members of parliament. That same year, the constitutional court ruled that a woman could obtain a passport without her husband’s consent. In 2010 and 2011, hundreds of Kuwaitis protested government changes to the Constitution and called for reform of high-level corruption. Following the protests, the emir dissolved parliament and replaced the prime minister.
In the 2012 parliamentary elections, the Islamist-led opposition won the majority. Sheikh Sabah blocked parliamentary proposals to make Kuwait’s legislation comply with the laws of Islam. The constitutional court then suspended parliament, effectively dissolving the Islamist-majority parliament. Before new snap elections, the emir cut the number of candidates a voter could elect from four to one. The opposition claimed the change breached the Constitution and boycotted the elections in protest. In 2016, Kuwait enacted laws restricting the media by criminalizing criticism of the government. Many who published criticisms of the emir were arrested.
Throughout his years as emir, Sheikh Sabah became known for his diplomacy in attempting to resolve political differences in the Persian Gulf region. Though often unsuccessful, he tried to act as peacemaker among Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab states. In an attempt to build international ties with Iran, Sheikh Sabah became one of few leaders in the gulf region to visit Iran in 2014. Sheikh Sabah died on Sept. 29, 2020. His half-brother, crown prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, automatically succeeded him as emir.
See also Kuwait; Sabah, Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-.
