Kuwait has a new ruler who now must fix its old problems

livemint.com:

Kuwait’s new ruler is taking over in his 80s and will be confronted with the same economy-hobbling political dysfunction that has for years doomed reforms. But there are differences in this succession as well as similarities, and how they play out will help dictate whether 83-year-old Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah can break the OPEC member state free of its paralysis.

Fledgling efforts to reconcile the Arab Gulf’s sole elected parliament with a prime minister’s office filled by royal appointment have at least begun, and Sheikh Mishaal has indicated his support for bringing in fresh faces. He now has a free hand in the formation of any new government, and will consult with prominent ruling family members to choose his successor, which he has one year to do.

But, it’s unlikely Kuwait will follow neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in handing powers to a younger generation. Traditionally, Kuwaiti crown princes are chosen based on extensive experience in government posts.

Any crown prince must also be a descendant of the founder of modern Kuwait, Mubarak Al-Kabeer, who died in 1915. “The focus should be on whether the next tier of leadership — crown prince and government choices included — will deliver or not, irrespective of age considerations," said Bader Al-Saif, an assistant professor at Kuwait University and a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

“Onus on delivery." Sheikh Mishaal’s nominee will require the endorsement of parliament, and his choice needs to be balanced with whoever is chosen as the next prime minister, since a new cabinet is widely expected to be formed. In his opening address to parliament in October, Sheikh Mishaal criticized both