When a country that the United States liberated from Saddam Hussein’s grip starts cozying up to our biggest adversary, it’s time to draw a line.
On Thursday, the Senate will consider Amer Ghalib, President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Kuwait. Lawmakers should use that hearing to ask one straightforward question: Whose side is Kuwait on — America’s or China’s?
Just days ago, Kuwait’s prime minister, Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, chaired a high-level meeting focused on implementing a slew of new agreements with the People’s Republic of China. As described by a recent news report, he praised Beijing as a “valuable commercial, economic, and investment partner,” boasting of exponentially growing trade between the two nations.
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Weeks ago, Kuwait also launched a “Kuwait-China Friendship Club,” pledged deeper military cooperation with Beijing, and announced the near completion of a Chinese-built ammunition plant on its own soil. The two governments have also expanded joint training programs.
Let’s not sugarcoat what’s happening. A nation whose freedom was bought with American blood and defended for decades by American troops is now drifting into China’s orbit.
This is problematic. Kuwait is home to some of America’s most important military Middle East installations, including vital hubs for deterring Iran, safeguarding valuable energy supplies, and projecting power across the entire region.
When a host nation that benefits so directly from U.S. protection starts openly courting and partnering with a U.S. adversary as large and concerning as China, it raises legitimate questions about whose interests are being served.
Beijing has made no secret of its goal to erode U.S. influence in the Middle East, and it’s using the same playbook it perfected elsewhere: buy influence through infrastructure projects, embed its firms in critical industries, and slowly turn “economic cooperation” into strategic leverage.
Kuwait must not become Beijing’s next foothold.
For over three decades, U.S. taxpayers have spent billions keeping the peace in the Persian Gulf. American soldiers fought and died to liberate Kuwait in 1991 and have guarded its security ever since. Yet today, Kuwait’s leaders appear more eager to cultivate ties with the Chinese Communist Party than with the country that saved them.
Just as concerning for America’s diplomatic relationships with the country, Kuwait still has not paid U.S. companies for their hard work on contracting projects with the Kuwaiti government, including for its Al Zour oil refinery, now a centerpiece of the Kuwaiti economy. This was made clear in the State Department appropriations report that a congressional committee released in August. And it’s not surprising, as it ultimately took congressional action to force Kuwait to pay $670 million in unpaid healthcare bills after the COVID pandemic.
Incredibly, the same government that refuses to pay its American partners has no issue striking new deals with Beijing. That’s not the behavior of a trusted ally; it’s the posture of a fair-weather friend.
At Thursday’s confirmation hearing, senators should ensure Ghalib will make these points to Kuwait clear, confirming that he will ensure that country’s leadership knows it can’t keep having it both ways.
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America’s military protection is not unconditional. If Kuwait wants to keep the protection of the American flag, it needs to stand firmly under it, not flirt with the Chinese. You’re either with the United States or you’re with the Chinese Communist Party. It’s that simple.
America shed blood to defend Kuwait’s freedom. If Kuwait now wants China as its partner, it should not expect America to keep footing the bill for its protection.
Hon. Ken Cuccinelli II is a senior fellow for Homeland Security at the Center for Renewing America. He previously served as the acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security, and before that, he was Virginia’s 46th attorney general.
