‘Balanced foreign policy vital’

‘China role holds sway’

“IT WOULD not be beneficial for a country to get itself allied with a single global axis. Allying to multiple international powers will prevent a single power from imposing its agenda on other countries. This will help diversify commercial exchange and enhance economic and political cooperation among the relevant states,” columnist and former director of the Culture Department at the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL)

wrote for daily. “When it comes to foreign policy, no one can guarantee permanent friendship with any country or great power. Rather, it is a known fact that only interests are permanent and govern the policies of various countries, provided these policies do not promote linking with some specific coalitions that have military or aggressive dimensions.

“These countries should take into account the need to avoid mortgaging themselves politically or economically to any sole power and work on the importance of enhancing their sovereignty, independence and self-development.

“Weaving a collation with the West, particularly with the change of presidents and policies in that part of the world, is likely to expose our Arab countries to blackmail and political pressures. Our countries should instead keep in mind the significance of exchanging mutual benefits with all countries worldwide and commit to the policy of maintaining good relations with these countries and enhancing global peace.

“Speaking of the joint agreements signed recently between the State of Kuwait and the People’s Republic of China, they are actually gaining special importance, particularly under the current complicated regional and international situations.

“As a matter of fact, the Kuwaiti-Chinese agreements cover various vital economic, financial, commercial, developmental and planning sectors. They are actually aiming at establishing a free trade zone, and another for defense industries, and so on.

“This will help cover such a huge shortage in the Kuwaiti infrastructure, which had occurred during the era of setback earlier witnessed by the Kuwaiti economy. Apart from the above, these agreements will actually help diversify the sources of national income and cover the current deficit in the state budget. The deficit had resulted in the concerned authorities thinking about borrowing from foreign financiers. This coin- cided with the squandering of the public funds and the corruption currently rampant in the country.

“In 2013, China had launched the “The Economic Belt” initiative as well as “Al-Harir Land and Maritime Road for the 21st Century” project. Even though these were aimed at linking the East and West, they will also contribute to boosting the culture of peace and cooperation among the various nations.

“China, unlike the United States of America, had adopted a policy that is based on non-intervention in the internal affairs of the Arab countries. In fact, it is Washington that is currently attempting to force the Arab countries to form an aggressive coalition. It is also trying to forcibly oblige OPEC member states to increase their oil output.

“Referring to the Kuwaiti-Chinese agreement that is aimed at boosting Chinese investments in the Kuwaiti islands as well as in Al-Harir City, such a development will help achieve the mutual interests for all of the neighboring countries on a long term basis.

“Not only that, this project will help maintain the security of the region and keep this part of the world void of any conflicts. We know that both Kuwait and China had agreed on exchanging issues related to independence, sovereignty, safety of the lands and non-intervention in the internal affairs of the countries.

“It is needless to say that these huge investments will be in need of political decisions to be adopted by the Kuwaiti government by taking necessary measures for fighting corruption as swiftly as possible, developing the country’s educational system, supporting the culture, achieving the necessary justice, ensuring equal opportunities, developing the manpower, evolving the country’s democratic system and achieving the targeted political stability in a way that will guarantee freedom and popular participation.”

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Al-Rujaib

“The balance in the foreign policy of Kuwait is actually obvious in its ability to achieve the difficult equation represented by Kuwait’s relations with the major powers in the region including Iran and Turkey, and the weaving of necessary relations with various international powers,” columnist

wrote for daily. “Kuwait actually has coalitions with the United States of America and the West in general. Her strategic relations stretch all the way to the East including China, East Asian countries, India and even Russia.

“Kuwait has adopted a balanced attitude in dealing with all of the countries on our planet. It maintains strategic relations and economic partnership with all these countries in order to achieve its political and security interests both on global and regional levels.

“If we study the characteristic and method of Kuwait’s foreign policy throughout its historical phases, we will discover that Kuwait’s political and diplomatic behavior has always been rife with rationality and wisdom when dealing with various regional and international political changes.

“Its attitude has never been based on emotion or passion but Kuwaiti diplomacy has always been balanced and rational. In fact, Kuwait still has been dealing rationally and wisely with various Arab and Islamic issues, which was evident with the way she tackled the events that had surfaced recently in the region.

“Speaking of Kuwait’s attitude towards the Gulf crisis, it is neutral and balanced, and based on the country’s keenness for maintaining the Gulf entity and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) organization. In other words, it has never been biased towards any other emotional attitude adopted by any party. Kuwait’s stance has always been neutral in this regard, and has been committed to her impartial role that is based on healing the rift among the relevant parties.

“Kuwait actually adopted a principled attitude when dealing with the current situation facing the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip. This was evident from her effective role in the United Nations Security Council where Kuwait, unlike many other Arab and Islamic countries that have been hesitant in their attitudes, had submitted a proposal for lifting the besiege currently imposed on that part of Palestine.

“Prior to that, Kuwait had adopted a good stance in the UN Security Council concerning the difficult humanitarian situation that the Syrian people in East Ghouta had been facing.

“Consequently, Kuwait led by the “Man of Diplomacy and Humanity” His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (We pray Almighty Allah will protect him) had rightfully gained the respect and appreciation of all the peoples and countries worldwide in view of her balanced and rational attitude as well as her distinguished diplomatic presence in the international organizations.

“In this regard, we would like to stress that nobody can deny the effective role played by Kuwait’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah who had efficiently translated the instructions of the country’s political leadership into reality with the support of the Deputy Foreign Minister Sulaiman Al-Jarallah and a diligent team from Ministry of Foreign Affairs topped by Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah and many other able diplomats who had graduated from Sabah Al-Ahmad School for Diplomacy.”

“I wonder why a country like Egypt, which has a huge number of citizens and deep-rooted heritage, culture and sport, is in need of a foreign trainer for its national football team,” columnist

wrote for daily. “It is acceptable if some other Arab countries need foreign footballers and coaches. About 99 percent of the national teams that participated in the 2018 World Cup in Russia consisted of players of Arab, Asian, Turkish and African origins.

“The only exception is the Croatian national team where no black or foreign players were included. The reason is that Croatia is among the states of former Yugoslavia which has been divided into many states in 1992 due to the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The reason is racial.

“Although some advanced countries, in terms of football, like Britain appointed foreign football coaches, what prevented Egypt from establishing a solid base to produce national football coaches? The problem was that the one responsible focused on creating distinguished players and forgot about creating distinguished trainers, referees and administrative officials. It was so clear in the recent World Cup.

“Some might argue that making stars like Pele, Ozbio, Christiano Ronaldo and Messi need nothing more than exceptional talent and it has nothing to do with the conditions of the society. On the other hand, creating trainers and referees require suitable environment.

“Arab countries no longer possess any of the factors needed in the fields of sports, politics, economy, education or industry. Will we be in need of foreign trainers for our political leaders? Actually, they already exist and they run games from behind the curtains. It has been said that they sleep on our beds. Tony Blair once said they hear the husbandwife whispers.”

“Intolerance is among the social vices affecting the mentality and ideas held by individuals who do not heed or accept others’ opinion lately. One of the roles played by Kuwaiti Society for National Fraternity is to reject vice and establish constructive social values of tolerance and acceptance of others,” columnist wrote for daily.

“From the point of view of science, intolerance is defined as ‘a hateful, emotionally charged or prejudiced tendency with or against a particular group or subject, not based on logical evidence, sufficient knowledge or scientific fact, and difficult to change or modify, which causes a person to see what he wants by ensuring the reality is distorted, as he prepares a group or individual to feel, think or perceive behavior in a manner consistent with intolerance’.

“It interprets many theories of ‘intolerance’, including frustration, and takes intolerance to be a special psychological function, which is the venting of self-reacting of tension, hatred and inhibited frustration through one of the self-defense tricks that is socially loathsome. The frustrated individual is drawn to aggression and descends on other groups.

“Environment theory is interpreted by the scientist, Crutch, who sees racial discrimination as the outcome of intolerance, creates social conditions that support this trend. Intolerance may be directed by a particular group against another group, as we see in some areas of the United States that distinguish between whites and darkskinned people.

“The character of the fanatical individual is described by a variety of attributes: the need for security due to conflicts that arise between groups, and differentiation and independence. The individual sense of distinctiveness and difference affects the increase in intolerance against other groups by raising the individual’s desire to dominate, hold the opinion and the stagnancy of thought.

“Finally, the individual’s desire to achieve a superior position creates for himself and his group a different characteristic or status than others. However, scientific theories have not limited the interpretation of fanaticism and its causes, although many studies have shown the first set of criteria that help to determine and control the degree of fanaticism. The first criterion is rationalism – continuous attempts to seek the truth, conserve accurate information, correct misinformation, and make new deductive updates.

“The second criterion is fairness and equality of treatment between individuals in all circumstances, except for discrimination based on experience. The last criterion is high human emotion that allows people to accept others with their human concepts.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb