Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jaber meeting with French foreign minister Roland Dumas during the Gulf War, October 1990

Jaber III al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (Arabic: جابر الأحمد الجابر الصباح)‎ (June 29, 1926–January 15, 2006), of the al-Sabah dynasty, served as the thirteenth emir of Kuwait, and third emir since Kuwait's independence from Britain, from December 31, 1977, until his death.

Sheikh Jaber was known to have married at least nine times, and had thirty-nine children.

Jaber was born in Kuwait City. Sheikh Jaber (of the Al-Sabah dynasty, which has ruled Kuwait since the 18th century) was the third son of the late Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who served as Kuwait's emir from 1921 to 1950.

Sheikh Jaber received his early education at Al-Mubarakiya School, Al-Ahmediya School, and Al-Sharqiya School, and was subsequently tutored privately in religion, English, Arabic, and the sciences. In 1949, Sheikh Jaber served as Director of Public Service for the Ahmadi region. In 1962, he was appointed as Kuwait's first Minister of Finance and Economy. Under Sheikh Jaber, the country's oil revenues transformed it from a largely tribal society to a modern, urbanised state with one of the world's largest per capita incomes. He introduced Kuwait's first currency, the Kuwaiti Dinar (K.D.). Sheikh Jaber was appointed Prime Minister of Kuwait in 1965, and subsequently named Crown Prince in 1966. He succeeded his cousin Sabah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah in December 1977, and had been Prime Minister of Kuwait for a decade before.

In 1981, he dissolved the National Assembly of Kuwait, exercising his powers as foreseen in Kuwait's Constitution. In May 1985 he survived an assassination attempt when assailants from the Shi'ite Al-Dawwa party drove a car bomb into his procession. In 1991, after the Gulf War, Sheikh Jaber reinstated the National Assembly.

On August 3, after much discussion of a border dispute between Kuwait and Iraq, Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait, with the stated intent of annexing it. Sheikh Jaber escaped to Saudi Arabia, where he set up a government-in-exile. In March 1991, Jaber returned to a liberated Kuwait.

In 1999 he proposed an amendment to Kuwait's Election Law, allowing women to vote and hold office; the bill was rejected by the National Assembly, however, and was not re-introduced for the MPs until 2005, when Kuwait's parliament had finally granted Kuwait's women political rights.

Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah is credited for his involvement in the creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the creation of the Future Generations Funds, and assistance in the unification of North and South Yemen. And he created the marter office.

Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah died on 15 January 2006. He was succeeded by the Crown Prince Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah. The government announced a 40-day period of mourning.