Covid-19 in Kuwait: An Opportunity for the Government

The first Covid-19 disease case was found in Kuwait on February 24th, 2020 when a Kuwaiti citizen was tested positive after coming back from Iran. Since then, the Kuwaiti government has taken many measures to contain its spread in the country. These steps have been gradual and important but were not able to contain the spread of the disease as hundreds of cases appeared in the country. The government's reaction to the crisis may have long-run implications, especially in the political arena, and might be an opportunity for the government to solve very critical problems in the country. This article tries to explore that

The politics of teaching International Relations in the Arab world : reading Walt in Beirut, Wendt in Doha, and Abul-Fadl in Cairo

Can International Relations (IR) as it is taught in the Arab world be said to be an “American social science” or is it taught differently in different places? The forum addresses this question through an exploration of what and how scholars at Arab universities are teaching IR and how institutional, historical, and linguistic, as well as political and individual factors shape classroom dynamics in the Arab world. This forum attempts to bring the classroom into the Global/Post-Western debate by showing how IR can be taught differently in different places with a focus on a region under-represented in IR debates: the Arab world. The essays, exhibiting diversity in pedagogical strategies and theoretical perspectives, provide a window into how the “international” is perceived and taught locally by teachers and students in various Arab contexts. While the influence from the American “core” of the discipline is obvious, the forum documents how the theoretical and conceptual foundations of IR based on Western perspectives and history do not travel intact. The essays collectively provide evidence of different kinds of IRs not just across but also within regions and show that studying pedagogy can become a way to study how disciplinary IR varies contextually.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Social Activism and Political Change in Kuwait Since 2006

The organization of the Kuwaiti political system is conducive to the successive rise and fall of pluralistic social movements, writes the author. This brief is the third of four resulting from a May 2018 workshop held in Kuwait by the Baker Institute in partnership with the Alsalam Center for Strategic and Developmental Studies. This work is part of a two-year project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York on “Building Pluralistic and Inclusive States Post-Arab Spring.

Pluralism and Inclusion in Post-2011 Kuwait

The briefs in this collection examine the countervailing dynamics of pluralism and inclusion in Kuwait since the onset of protests in 2010, paying particular attention to the political, religious, social and gender dynamics in Kuwait. The reports are based on a May 2018 workshop held in Kuwait by the Baker Institute in partnership with the Alsalam Center for Strategic and Developmental Studies. This work is part of a two-year project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York on “Building Pluralistic and Inclusive States Post-Arab Spring.

The politics of teaching International Relations in the Arab world:reading Walt in Beirut, Wendt in Doha, and Abul-Fadl in Cairo

Can International Relations (IR) as it is taught in the Arab world be said to be an “American social science” or is it taught differently in different places? The forum addresses this question through an exploration of what and how scholars at Arab universities are teaching IR and how institutional, historical, and linguistic, as well as political and individual factors shape classroom dynamics in the Arab world. This forum attempts to bring the classroom into the Global/Post-Western debate by showing how IR can be taught differently in different places with a focus on a region under-represented in IR debates: the Arab world. The essays, exhibiting diversity in pedagogical strategies and theoretical perspectives, provide a window into how the “international” is perceived and taught locally by teachers and students in various Arab contexts. While the influence from the American “core” of the discipline is obvious, the forum documents how the theoretical and conceptual foundations of IR based on Western perspectives and history do not travel intact. The essays collectively provide evidence of different kinds of IRs not just across but also within regions and show that studying pedagogy can become a way to study how disciplinary IR varies contextually