Defense: The Last Line of Defense!
As we follow the football matches of the 2026 World Cup, we remind readers that it is illogical for a coach to fail to deploy his attack, midfield, and defense lines, leaving only the goalkeeper to face fully equipped teams, and then blame him for any goal conceded that leads to the team’s defeat, forgetting that the goalkeeper, like armies in countries around the world, represents the last line of defense, not the first as some mistakenly believe. This misconception arises from their presence at the borders, creating the false impression that they are the first line of defense.
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One of the critical lines that must be activated before threats reach the military, especially in countries with small populations, limited land area, and flat terrain lacking mountains or forests, is the line of general state policy. This involves betting on and improving relations, and building protective alliances with influential countries globally and regionally, while avoiding reliance on weak, losing, particularly revolutionary and ideological horses with shifting orientations, which typically repay kindness with ingratitude and friendship with hostility. This often leads us to oppose brothers, friends, and allies on their behalf, and align with enemies, leaving us exposed and vulnerable.
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Another crucial line of defense is the optimal activation of so-called "soft power," which states need more as hard power weakens. This refers to diplomatic and media power, among others. There is also the economic defense line, where states open their borders to millions of tourists and investors, as seen in neighboring countries, keeping the state in question as a bright spot on the world map. This creates interests for global influencers—individuals, companies, and states—in the country’s survival. It is well known that billions in investments by prominent international leaders in some of our Gulf countries make them special destinations for visits and featured in positive statements. This itself constitutes a major advanced defensive wall, while also ensuring that concerned countries receive the best weapons, military ammunition, and important intelligence information, preventing escalation from border incursions to existential threats.
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Among the important buffers established by successive Kuwaiti governments, which were destroyed by shouting and mob tactics in the National Assembly under seductive slogans like "theft of the century" and "burying oil," was Kuwait’s post-liberation initiative to form an oil partnership in the Northern fields with major American and international oil companies. This aimed to benefit from modern drilling technology, reduce costs, and, most importantly, leverage the influence and power of these companies on the political decisions of major powers. Similarly, the partnership project with the world’s largest petrochemical company, the American Dow Chemical, and storing oil outside the Gulf straits, were all sabotaged by the same parliamentary factions. Today, we pay the heavy price for those reckless and biased parliamentary actions that deliberately undermined Kuwait’s higher interests.
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The final point: Among the destructive practices that harmed our army and our defensive capabilities is the direct involvement of some National Assembly members as arms dealers or as intermediaries for arms dealers to purchase weapons from various sources and countries that were not necessarily suited to our needs. This made our arsenal closer to a "McDonald's" of weapons, increasing financial costs and reducing defensive effectiveness. They also interfered through their destructive mediation in evaluations, promotions, and retirement processes for military personnel, exploiting the presence of some of them in the important Parliamentary Interior and Defense Committee, whose membership was neglected by national forces. This wrong path must be corrected so that purchases are made based on the nation’s needs, not the agents’ interests, and so that combat doctrine and weapons align and harmonize with those in Gulf countries, facilitating training and reducing maintenance costs and spare parts procurement. How much imminent destruction to Kuwait’s present and future was averted by the blessed Amir’s decree issued on May 10, 2024!
