Today, Kuwait celebrates the 21st anniversary of its liberation from Iraqi occupation under Saddam Hussain's regime. The date is significant because it reminds Kuwaitis of what they stand to lose if they are unable to defend their country.
Ever since the invasion, on August 2, 1990, the biggest concern for all Kuwaitis has been ‘security.' They always question themselves; Will our country be independent in the future? Will we face another invasion? Will Kuwait be swallowed by one of its big neighbours? Are we a ‘temporary state'?
Also since that day most of the Kuwaitis believe that their government hasn't really learnt from the invasion lesson to develop a security model, not only based on the security agreements with foreign powers but also one that depends on the Kuwaiti citizens because finally only Kuwaitis would have the will to defend their country.
Most importantly, we are a small country with a small population in a dangerous geopolitical atmosphere. Do we really have an idea how we could defend our country?
I think the best answer to the latter question is to adapt Singapore's ‘Total Defence' security model. Kuwait and Singapore are similar both in terms of small size geographically and in population and surrounded by bigger neighbours.
Introduced in 1984, Singapore's concept of Total Defence was adapted from the experiences of countries such as Switzerland and Sweden. "As a young nation with a small population and conscript armed forces, [Singapore] needed to draw on the different strengths and abilities of its population to augment its defence capability, according to the official government website, www.totaldefence.sg .
The idea behind the decision to introduce such an innovative concept is that "Conflicts between countries are no longer just military in nature." Modern conflicts can be manifested in non-conventional ways such as destabilising the social fabric of society, exploiting gaps and differences between the different ethnic or religious groups in a country or launching economic wars against the targeted country.
Herein comes the role of Total Defence to provide immunity (a pre-emptive defence) and a response to such threats and attacks, aimed at bringing down the targeted country.
Five aspects
"Total Defence brings together all relevant government agencies, private sector organisations and all Singaporeans in a coordinated effort to deal effectively with these threats and challenges." Every citizen is supposed to, and would be able to, play their role in defending their nation.
The system has five defence aspects; military, civil, economic, social and psychological. They represent "the key sectors of society".
Singaporeans are urged by the system to "take National Service seriously, volunteer in civil defence exercises, help build a strong economy, strengthen community ties with one another regardless of race and religion, and stay committed to defend the country".
To say that those aspects don't even exist in Kuwait is just stating the obvious. Moreover, in Kuwait, one will find actually the opposite. In military defence, the mandatory service law was scrapped by the government 10 years ago. In civil cefence; most Kuwaitis don't have a clue about how they can play their part to help keep Kuwait safe and secure.
In the economic defence, we still depend heavily on oil, which represents more than 90 per cent of Kuwait's GDP. In social defence, one will notice the government's tolerance towards those engaged in sedition — insulting Kuwaiti tribes — or those who are widely known as religious extremists. In psychological defence, pride and passion for our country is not the same as it used to be.
For all those reasons, Total Defence is a perfect model for Kuwait to address the security challenge and to preserve its independence as a nation and Kuwaitis' interests. One of Thomas Jefferson's greatest quotes goes like this: "What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?"
Abdul Aziz Al Gharabally is a Kuwaiti activist based in Singapore.
