Monarch, mediator, maverick: Kuwait’s Emir Sabah

KUWAIT CITY: The Arab “dean of diplomacy”, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who died on Tuesday aged 91, survived Kuwait’s worst crises with an iron hand and a reputation as a shrewd, unshakable monarch.

Even before his appointment as emir, he spent decades manoeuvring in the shadows of his predecessors; his half-brother Jaber Al-Sabah and cousin Saad Al-Sabah.

In 2006, in a move widely recognised as engineered by Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, parliament voted to dethrone Saad — just one week after his appointment — citing concerns for the 75-year-old’s physical well-being.

The long-time foreign minister thus ascended to the Kuwaiti throne and a regional role as mediator in some of the worst crises to grip the Gulf.

Born on June 16, 1929, he was the great-grandson of the founder of modern Kuwait, Mubarak Al-Sabah — a forerunner notorious for ordering the murder of his brothers to consolidate power under one emir.

The 15th leader in a family that has ruled for over 250 years, Sheikh Sabah helped steer his country through invasion, the crash of the global oil market and crises in parliament, government and on the streets. Despite his advanced years, he remained deeply involved in global affairs, and in May 2019 attended a summit of Arab leaders in Mecca where marathon sessions extended into the night.

At that summit, he argued strongly for de-escalation in the Gulf as tensions between Iran and the United States surged to dangerous levels. “We must make every effort to contain the situation,” he said.