Kuwait’s Humanitarian and Mediation Efforts: A Model for Middle Power Niche Diplomacy

Kuwait’s strategic integration of mediation and humanitarian aid has allowed the country to carve out a distinct identity as a regional and global middle power. By balancing these two pillars of its foreign policy, Kuwait has successfully navigated the intricacies of regional geopolitics, bolstering its diplomatic stature. The interaction between institutional continuity and individual agency is central to understanding how Kuwait has cultivated its middle power identity. It demonstrates how small states can effectively leverage structural advantages and strong leadership to influence specialised areas like mediation, humanitarian assistance and coalition-building. However, following the death of Emir Sabah, Kuwait's mediation role, though enduring, has become increasingly constrained.