Kuwait has rooted out the leader of its branch of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , Amer al-Enezi, and thwarted a number of plots against the American military presence in the country (Terrorist Incident and Terrorist Incident). Unlike Saudi Arabia , Kuwait is trying aggressively to attack its nascent terrorist presence, having observed what its larger neighbor went through when a year-long wave of attacks spurred the Kingdom into action. For reasons described here (WAR Report), Kuwait is not nearly as fertile ground for militancy as Saudi Arabia and will not likely face the same problems. However, the danger remains that militants may be able to execute an attack successfully before the Kingdom catches up to them.

Like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait has a problem with its educational system supporting radical Islamic ideologies and lacks enough government oversight of its Islamic charities. Reportedly, a law to regulate these charities has been passed but not enforced. However, this problem has only just reared its head in Kuwait at the start of 2005, and the government has reacted aggressively in the six weeks since. While Saudi Arabia is just now beginning to confront the role the education system plays in spreading extremism, Kuwait held a conference on the subject last week entitled, ?Terrorism: Its Causes and Treatment From the Educational Viewpoint.? Parliament has sped through new laws that make it easier for police to obtain search warrants to look for illegal weapons. The government has closed some unlicensed mosques and has passed laws to delete text encouraging intolerance from schoolbooks. The country will have to monitor developments to ensure that it carries the inertia of its initial reaction through until the group is eradicated, but the initial response bodes well.

<