KUWAIT CITY — We meet Musallam Al-Barrack, the former MP and leader of Kuwait’s opposition, on May 2 at his father’s home in al Andalus, a suburb on the outskirts of the city. Politics in Kuwait are often a nighttime affair, especially during the searing summer months. Al-Barrack’s home is a gathering point for the opposition, and on rally nights his dewaniya (reception hall), front garden and the surrounding area will be packed with thousands of his supporters.
On this humid night, however, only a handful of white-robed Kuwaitis mill about. We’re led down a staircase to a narrow office lined with poster-sized photos of Al-Barrack.