By now we have all heard of the decision by the government of Kuwait to end all of its flights between New York and London in order to achieve one thing: to be able to avoid having to transport an Israeli, or maybe even two — horribile dictu — on such a flight.
It is things like this that reveal the full madness and malevolence of Kuwait’s economic warfare, its economic Jihad against Israel. Kuwait is willing to deprive its national airline of what is surely one of its most important and profitable routes, all because allowing even a lone Israeli to take a seat for six hours constitutes “doing business” with the Jewish state, and that can’t be countenanced by little Kuwait. For where might it all end, if a lone Israeli were to be assigned even a lousy center seat in the back? Possibly by Israel doing even more business, and before you know it, Israel will have bought up all those nonexistent high-tech companies in Kuwait City, and then Israel, as sure as night follows day, would be able to expand its territory from the Nile to the Euphrates.
The bizarrerie of Kuwait’s identifying the taking of a plane flight, without more, as “doing business” in any meaningful sense is matched by the bizarrerie from the opposite camp: to wit, New York City Councilman Rory Lancman, who said that “it was unconscionable that Kuwait, who the United States had helped liberate in the early 1990s with the help of Jewish soldiers, would continue to discriminate against Israeli passengers.” I was unaware that Jewish soldiers taking part in Operation Desert Storm had any bearing on whether an Israeli might be a passenger on a Kuwaiti flight from New York to London. Whether there were 5, or 5,000, or no Jewish soldiers in that campaign, should be irrelevant as to whether Israelis can fly on Kuwaiti planes. And what Kuwait does or does not do — halt a flight or keep it flying — is irrelevant to the long-established American policy of opposing the economic warfare, including the boycotts, that Arab states have been conducting against the state of Israel for many decades. It is too bad that the American government did not ban the New York to London flight by Kuwait Airlines, but allowed the Kuwaitis to beat them to the punch, offering to the world a parody of a “principled” stand: “we give up a profitable route for morally more elevated reasons.” Fortunately, it is not too late for the American government, if it wished, to ban all flights by airlines from countries that participate in the economic boycott of Israel. That would mean standing on quite a different principle.
This is the kind of story that helps rip the mask off of the sheikhdom depicted in 1990-91 as “plucky little Kuwait,” a splendid little sheikdom that was the victim of Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Plucky little Kuwait, brave little Kuwait, Kuwait the Soft, Kuwait the Victim, Kuwait the So-Much-More-Moderate-Than-Saudi-Arabia, brave little plucky little Kuwait saved by its age-old friends the Americans, who came in 1991 to save it from the rapaciousness of Saddam Hussein. And in so doing, the Americans earned gratitude so eternal that it lasted as long as it took the first President Bush to come and collect, when out of office, a million dollar speaker’s fee, and a few other well-placed Americans (was Clinton one of them? James Baker? I forget) to pocket similar sums for a half-day’s work.
That eternal gratitude must have lasted at least 3-4 years. Then Kuwait, not the Kuwait represented by a handful of members of this or that family (Fouad Ajami visiting them from time to time) that sends its children to the American School of Kuwait, but all the other Kuwaitis, reverted to type, to the type of all societies and peoples suffused with Islam.
The Gulf War certainly made sense as far as the ruling families of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the U.A.E., and Saudi Arabia were concerned. But did it, the original Gulf War, make sense for the long-term interests of Infidels? What if Saddam Hussein had captured and held the oil riches of Kuwait?
What then? What would Saudi Arabia have done? Saddam Hussein’s army could not simply march into Saudi Arabia. The American Air Force could have destroyed it as it marched across the desert. Would Saddam Hussein have managed to appeal to the people who live in Saudi Arabia? Not to the Wahhabis, who would regard his brand of Sunni Islam — just look at the freedoms of Iraqi women — as far too secular. Not to the Shi’a in the Eastern Province, where the oil is produced: Saddam Hussein was the arch-enemy of the Shi’a. The Al-Saud would very likely have had to embrace, as they never really have embraced, the American government, and it would have been ready to pour out huge sums for a guarantee of protection against a more powerful, and closer, Iraq.
That would have been a good thing. We want the Al-Saud to be worried. We want them to have to worry about whether or not their enemies, foreign and domestic, will be held in check by the powerful Americans. We want to force them to give us far more of their unmerited wealth, for such protection, and thereby have less to spend on mosques, madrasas, and campaigns of Da’wa.
And what would Saddam Hussein have done had Iraq been able to take over Kuwait, and make it a province of Iraq? Would he not, over the next decade, have used that wealth to try again to destroy once and for all the “Persians” of Shi’a Iran? And would he not have been supported in such a new effort by the Saudis themselves, both because they would take his side against those “Persians” of Shi’a Iran, but because they might hope that he would once again be in an endless war with Iran, with Iraqi military might confronting the human-wave techniques of the basiji? For this would have kept both Saddam Hussein and the Islamic Republic of Iran busy for a long time.
The American government at the time, however, was intent on “protecting Saudi Arabia,” and it saw things one-dimensionally. It could not conceive of how mischief-makers and megalomaniacs can sometimes be used, or at least not prevented from acting, in ways that, objectively, help the Camp of the Infidels, and damage the Camp of Islamic Jihad. Now, so many years later, it again misses an opportunity it could have seized, to reinforce a valuable and important principle, in failing to boycott Kuwait Airways for banning Israelis.

Lawrence says
Let’s not forget that US and British forces liberated Kuwait from Saddam in early ’91, sure the West did it out of self-interest, keeping Kuwait’s oil with Kuwait. Shouldn’t have bothered, these people largely deserved Saddam. After all he hated the Jews as much as they do.
PrayerWarrior says
I think we can all use a morale builder right now.
1950 movie “Tripoli Patrol” is on Youtube right now. (or you can find it elsewhere).
(I’d put a link in, but I’m not sure Robert would like that.)
Its about the US marines 1805 invasion of Tripoli to overthrow the muslim Barbary pirates that had threatened our freedom of the seas in the Mediterranean. That’s where the “Shores of Tripoli” that’s in the Marine’s anthem came from.
The language and demeanor of the Americans is anachronistic, and there’s the usual Hollywood romance and general cornball, but the film was made before Edward Said wrote “Orientialism,” and is therefore 100% politically incorrect. Enjoy!
james hazan says
I should worry!!!?
Andrew H. says
The entire non-Muslim world should follow my example which is to practice apartheid against all their countries as much for my own safety as to show my contempt for them. I would never dream of setting foot on an airplane in which a Muslim petrodollar state has an interest. I would never visit any of their countries and I would never buy anything manufactured in one of their lands. If only half the non-Muslim world practiced this, and as their principal sources of income, oil, gets replaced by alternative energy, they will cease to be a problem to the world.
Wakeup says
I have gone on and on about economically boycotting muslims for years the UK has a perfectly good friendly gas producer on our own doorstep Norway but we buy gas from abu dabi why. Don’t buy anything from muslims nothing not even a newspaper. If you go into a shop ask if they are muslim first, I do, they have no right to your business. The whole muslim agenda never gets challenged in what way is this different to the women’s liberation movement challenging sexist attitudes in the 70s. They need our business and compliance don’t give it to them. Evil is self destructive remember the parable where the pigs ran over the cliff 12 months and they will be fighting each other. Governments won’t do this they have their fingers in the till it has to be a personal Crusade.
Raja says
Andrew H,
I am already practicing what you have suggested but could not resist buying a two wheeler after postponing the purchase for almost a decade.Alternate technology would not just succeed for all those years. Why should any sensible person buy anything from those savages /religion of hate / terror unless out of desperation?
Matthieu Baudin says
This is a clear example of the type of outrageous prejudice coming from Arab states that we are expected to accommodate if we wish to continue with business as usual.
jeffrey Fixler says
As usual, Hugh’s analysis is spot on. Hugh has often spoken of “nasty, little Qatar”. The same can be said of Kuwait. Trump has spoken of his past dealings with Kuwaiti “business men”, and commented that they, the Kuwaitis, told him they prefer not to invest in America. Trump was struck by their ingratitude, but knowing what we know now, it is entirely to be expected. I remember myself being entirely suppportive of Gulf War 1 at the time. Hoiw little we knew, how foollish we were . We should have told Sadaam to keep his new province for all the good it has done us.
mortimer says
‘Malevolent’ is the best word to describe Islam…a ‘malevolent Cult of Death’.
jewdog says
Only a few counter-jihadists will care about this story. Now, if Kuwait’s airlines were targeting blacks, the media and the campuses would be in an uproar. For the Left, some animals are more equal than others.
And yes, let them kill each other.
Lioness says
No Israeli would take a Kuwaiti airline anyway, ever, or any other muslim nation airline. It’s not like there is no other choice, particularly when El Al flies that route. Do they have other routes in the West? Why not stop flying altogether! Very strange story.
islam :- the religion of chaos says
This is going to get very interesting …………………………
There could be a silver lining to this, Kuwait has set a precedent, all other Islamic airlines will have to re-evaluate their ridiculous form of honour ,, even better, will the other types of Islam have to follow suit in order to not look like copouts, ?
This could start a whole withdrawing of interactions with the rest of the world, (which I think could be a good thing ….) The hard ass versions of Islam will be forced to follow suit, and the other businesses will have to relook at the whole picture ..
I’m sure there are Jews in every part of the business world ..
I wonder if they will stop selling oil to the Jews .. ? Or buying their superior technology
Frank Back says
Never let the truth get in the way of a couple of column inches.
What a lot of ill researched rubbish.
Anyone who has flown on Kuwait Air would know that it is and will always be a last resort.. the service is unpredictable, the food barely tolerable and the service undetectable.
Shutting down flights is more an economic reality that any other conspiracy theory.
Travelling to the Middle East gives you a range of superior carriers and you will always want to minimise flights on third rate carriers. The shorter the better and only when essential.
Kuwait remains a reasonable democracy, with the liberalising of society and freedoms that most of us in the West take for granted.
It is a pleasant enough place to live and work and once you make the expected concessions to the locals for any cultural sensitivities life can be wonderful there.
That is much more than I could say for the myriad other Islamic Countries that infest the Middle East and Africa.
Avesta says
Wether it’s Kuwait, Saudi “Wahhabi” Barbaria, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, or any other of these Persian Gulf Cameldomes, they are all the same racist, prejudiced camel urine soaked filth and slime.
Now that there is a newly opened slot between NY and London Heathrow, I am sure that any number of US carriers or British Airways, Virgin Atlantic would benefit from taking over the slot from Kuwait Airways.
Besides, I feel much safer flying an American or a European carrier than one these Wallah Wallah carriers: Better service, no one dressed in a black garbage bag and no camel smell.
bill morgenstein says
My instincts were right!.
as I wrote in my book: some years ago I sat next to and became friendly with the head of KNPC (Kuwaiti National Petroleum Company) on a flight from Rio to London.. He invited me to come to Kuwait City but I declined citing the fact that not only was I Jewish but an avowed Zionist! His response was that under his auspices I would be perfectly safe and although because of Middle Easter politics Kuwait was against Israel they were not against Jews. “As a matter of fact no self respecting Kuwaiti would go to anything but a Jewish doctor.” (I didn’t know that there were that many Jews in Kuwait but I guess that he meant when the rich ones traveled to London). Nadir (his first name) also mentioned that Kuwait had “back door” relations with Israel trading some intelligence and even doing some secret business together. I am sorry to say that I didn’t believe his B.S. then and I certainly don’t believe it now.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Saddam Hussein’s army could not simply march into Saudi Arabia. The American Air Force could have destroyed it as it marched across the desert.
The relationship between the Bush family and the House of Saud is oily, pun intended. As predicted by you, decapitating the Saddam regime would inevitably result in a bifurcation of the country along Sunni and Shia lines, with Iran taking hegemony of the southeastern half. What’s happened with the northwestern half wasn’t predicted by anyone I recall, but it’s mind blowing. A new caliphate blooms before our eyes, and is armed with weapons and ammo laid down by the Sunnis in the Iraqi Army.
And the corruption continues. I’ve been screaming for two years aksing why Prez Barack Hussein just doesn’t simply fly in and blow up the refineries around Mosul. But he still hasn’t. Only last week did they finally strafe a oil truck convoy, apparently they’d held off until now out of environmental concerns, maybe out of respect for Global Warm… er, Climate Change or something like that. Meanwhile, our “ally” Turkey is openly profiting from the New Caliphate’s oil operations. And then there are the Assyrian Christians and Yazidis, who Prez Hussein is leaving behind to be killed or sold into sex slavery, even as we bring in tens of thousands of Moslem “refugees” from Syria.
I read the other day where a mass grave was discovered in the Levant holding the corpses of hundreds of women who were too old to be sold into sex slavery and were worthless. Now *that’s* an honest to God refugee. As with all the Moslem refugees we’ve brought in before, who are they seeking refuge from, themselves?