Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Mary Ann Tétreault

Mary Ann Tétreault was Una Chapman Cox Distinguished Professor of International Affairs Emerita at Trinity University in San Antonio.

Current Analysis

Looking for Revolution in Kuwait

In the New York Review of Books, Hussein Agha and Robert Malley imagine the results of the Arab revolts as the possible beginning of a reconstitution of the Ottoman Empire. They see the regional unrest as media-driven, with various partisans asserting their own versions of reality to mobilize popula

Mary Ann Tétreault • 21 min read

Current Analysis

The Day After “Victory”: Kuwait’s 2009 Election and the Contentious Present

The May 2009 parliamentary election in Kuwait produced a number of surprising results. Occurring on the fourth anniversary of the achievement of full political rights for Kuwaiti women, the outcome attracting the most commentary was the victory of four female candidates. But there were other happeni

Mohammed Al-Ghanim, Mary Ann Tétreault • 18 min read

Current Analysis

Kuwait’s Annus Mirabilis

Kuwait has had an exceptional year, and it isn’t over yet—though one might not know from reading even the alternative press in the West. Fast on the heels of two remarkable developments in the slow democratization of the emirate, a convulsion gripped another part of the Middle East,

Mary Ann Tétreault • 22 min read

Current Analysis

Three Emirs and a Tale of Two Transitions

On the surface, the brief succession crisis that gripped Kuwait in January 2006 ended in the arbitrary replacement of one member of the ruling Al Sabah family with another. When Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir died after a long illness on January 15, he was succeeded by the crown prince, Sheikh

Mary Ann Tétreault • 12 min read

Current Analysis

Women's Rights and the Meaning of Citizenship in Kuwait

Prosperous and possessed of a spirited parliament, Kuwait has prided itself on being a standard setter among the Arab monarchies on the Persian Gulf. With respect to women's rights, however, today Kuwait ranks just above Saudi Arabia. Kuwaiti women are allowed to drive and they occupy positions in p

Mary Ann Tétreault • 13 min read

Current Analysis

Kuwait's Parliament Considers Women's Political Rights, Again

When Kuwait's parliament reconvenes in late October, it will be facing a full agenda. Member initiatives include an ambitious redistricting bill and threats to interpellate at least two cabinet ministers. The government's wish list is equally contentious; it includes a wide-ranging privatization pro

Mary Ann Tétreault • 10 min read

MER Article

Advice and Dissent in Kuwait

In sharp contrast to the diplomatic ineptitude that has characterized the Anglo-American march to war against Iraq, military preparations have been systematic, extensive and inexorable. As the military buildup has progressed through the autumn and winter of 2002 and into the succeeding spring, the f

Mary Ann Tétreault • 10 min read