2011/05/01 by Kjetil Selvik · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts #Socioeconomic Development in MENA #Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/00263206.2011.565143
openalex publication_date 2011/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Kuwait's liberalization of the press and publication law in 2006 sparked a threefold increase in the number of Arabic language newspapers that defied conventional wisdom about print media decline and also survived the world financial crisis. The article provides a political explanation for this puzzle, arguing that newspapers serve as political instruments in elite rivalries in Kuwait's semi-democratic setting. It qualifies the idea of newspapers as civil society institutions and shows how political control is reproduced in a liberal context. It thereby contributes to our understanding of the role of the press in hybrid regimes.