Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 09/2008

PolicyWatch #1333: Blacklisting Terrorism Supporters in Kuwait

Michael Jacobson, David Pollock

January 2008

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Abstract

On January 16, the UN Security Council's "Al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee" designated three Kuwaiti nationals for providing support to al-Qaeda. Although the UN measure is a welcome step forward, it is unlikely to have much impact without aggressive implementation by Kuwait. Given the Kuwaiti government's mixed record in cracking down on terrorism financing, there is reason to be skeptical that it will take strong action. At the same time, the UN blacklisting already appears to have affected Kuwaiti counterterrorism efforts in a way that previous requests from the United States alone could not accomplish.