Emir Shaikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The Emir since late January 2006, Shaikh Sabah is a pragmatic man with liberal tendencies. But he is also cautious about reforms which may lead to a de-stabilisation of Kuwait, while resisting calls by the ruling family to dissolve parliament again.

In an unusual move, Shaikh Sabah on April 15, 2007 held a meeting with all the male members of al-Sabah family aged over 40 to express his discontent with their in-fighting. He told them: "Our constitution has no flaw; you are the flaws. The constitution will stay as it is There is no need to amend it There is no intention to dissolve the National Assembly".

The gathering came amid divisions between senior Sabah shaikhs. Many of them wanted the ruling family to assert more control over the NA. Tensions within the family had increased earlier in 2007 when MPs grilled the then Health Minister, Shaikh Ahmad al-Abdullah al-Sabah. Both Shaikh Ahmad and the government had to resign on March 4, 2007, underlining the strength of the NA.

Some members of the ruling family later made public their desire to see the assembly dissolved and the emir to rule by decree. But at the April 15 meeting, Shaikh Sabah stressed that he was committed to the constitution and to an independent parliament. There were fears at the time that dissolution of parliament could lead to civil unrest or even a coup against Sabah rule. Several MPs and media commentators had been making veiled references to such a possibility.

Although Foreign Minister and Deputy PM Shaikh Muhammad al-Sabah al-Salem has proved to be an excellent diplomat, the emir Shaikh Sabah continues to oversee Kuwait's foreign and regional policies. Shaikh Sabah is especially careful to maintain as best a balance in its external relations as possible.

Shaikh Sabah had been foreign minister from the 1960s to mid-2003. He has dealt with ...