Kuwait leadership in question

A few days ago, the Emir of Kuwait died. Under the agreement within the al-Sabah family, the crown prince, who hails from a rival branch of the same family, is supposed to succeed him. However, the crown prince is also ill.

Today, it appears that the Kuwaiti cabinet is going to try to remove the crown prince from power. Another member of the Sabah family, the prime minister, would rule in stead:

Kuwait's cabinet has decided to start consitutional procedures to remove ailing Amir Shaikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, an official government statement said.

"The Council of Ministers ... decided to initiate constitutional procedures stipulated in article 3 of the 1964 Emirates Inheritance Law," which stipulates procedures for the removal of the Amir on health grounds, it said.

The statement said the move came due to poor health of the Amir.

However, signalling discord, the ailing Amir Shaikh Saad officially asked that he take the oath of office on Sunday.

I doubt any of this will have much effect on Kuwait-American relations, but who knows?