Kuwait abandons regional neutrality, backs Egypt's Sisi
Kuwait had sought to steer clear of Arab uprisings by remaining neutral, but its decision to back Egypt's Field Marshal Sisi marks a shift in policy.
Over the past three years of Arab revolutions, Kuwait’s foreign policies have shifted drastically, reflecting a change in its approach toward the region. During the 18 days of the Egyptian revolution, Kuwaiti authorities warned against protests at home, while attempting to remain neutral in their comments about President Hosni Mubarak’s future. Mubarak's eventual downfall was no doubt worrisome to his Kuwaiti friends, among them the ruling family, investors and nationalists.
The Egyptian army’s role in the liberation of Kuwait after its invasion by Iraq was seen as courtesy of Mubarak, but the coup d’etat that took place in Egypt on July 3, 2013 showed that Mubarak was not Kuwait and the Gulf states' only favored star. The oil countries rushed to offer their moral and financial support to the new potentate, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, employing the rhetoric of Arab nationalism. Kuwait’s changing stance in regard to Egyptian politics reveals much about the country’s political conflicts and fears.
In April 2010, Kuwait deported 17 Egyptians for demonstrating in support of Mohammed ElBaradei. In November 2012, another 19 were deported for fundraising for ElBaradei’s party, Al-Dostour. In August 2013, nine more Egyptians were deported for protesting the Rabia al-Adawiya killings, in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Kuwait. A Palestinian man, Omar Abu Umara, is said to still be in jail for participating in this last demonstration. The arrests and deportations stemming from protests reflect Kuwaiti rulers' fear of Egypt’s political mobilizations extending into the Gulf. Activists and opposition politicians constantly use and deploy symbols and rhetoric from the Egyptian revolution. Mubarak's ouster helped generated popular opposition against Kuwait’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah in 2011.
For Kuwait, arresting and deporting Egyptians for engaging in the politics of their country is a stand against opposing Egypt’s military regime. Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry tried to avoid commenting on events until Mubarak had stepped down. During the rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and Mohammed Morsi’s year as president, Kuwait’s rulers were uninterested in extending support to Egypt. Only after the coup did Kuwait step forward to offer $4 billion in aid, which was widely celebrated by the media in both countries. Since July, Kuwaitis have heatedly debated the coup in Egypt, with regime loyalists and liberals supporting the army while Islamists and opposition supporters continue to stand by Morsi. This political division was exacerbated by the cabinet’s decision to aid the Sisi-backed government.
