MER Article Contesting Welfare State Politics in Kuwait In October 2013, Kuwait’s Prime Minister Jabir al-Mubarak introduced his government’s agenda with a bombshell -- that “the current welfare state to which Kuwaitis are accustomed is not viable.” [1] Government projections estimate that expenditures will exceed oil revenues in only a few years if spen Rivka Azoulay, Madeleine Wells • 13 min read