Kuwait will backtrack on vow to address statelessness

Subject

Kuwait's stateless people.

Significance

The suicide of a member of Kuwait's 'bidoon' (stateless) population after losing his job triggered protests by dozens of members of the community last month. In response, the speaker of parliament asserted that a “radical and fair” solution would be introduced in coming months.

Impacts

• The issue has economic implications, given the large bidoon population which currently struggles to find work.
• Any action on this issue would have implications for neighbouring Gulf countries with similar populations.
• Changes to nationality laws would prompt debate over the practice of stripping individuals’ citizenship for political reasons.