A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Monday, January 23, 2012

Sheikh Saud al-Nasser Al Sabah, Former Ambassador to US, Dies

Sheikh Saud al-Nasser Al-Sabah, who served as Kuwait's Ambassador to Washington during the 1980s and through the Iraqi invasion and occupation, and later as Information Minister and Oil Minister, has died at age 68, reportedly of cancer. Sheikh Saud al-Nasser was a well-known figure in Washington in those difficult days for Kuwait, now over two decades ago. I mention his passing mainly for those who, like me, remember those days, and Sheikh Saud's role in them, well.

1 comment:

David Mack said...

Any history of US-Kuwaiti relations will have to give Shaikh Saud a considerable amount of space. I dealt with him frequently during the war and of 1990-1991 and its aftermath. He was a shrewd and skilled diplomatic operator. Most of the time, we were on the same side, and when we were not I had to really work at reining him in, not always successfully.