Changing a System from Within: Applying the Theory

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Changing a System from Within: Applying the Theory CHANGING A SYSTEM FROM WITHIN: APPLYING THE THEORY OF COMMUNICATIVE ACTION FOR FUNDAMENTAL POLICY CHANGES IN KUWAIT A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Nasser Almujaibel May 10, 2018 Examining Committee Members: Dr. Nancy Morris, Advisory Chair, MSP / Media and Communication Dr. Brian Creech, Journalism. Media & Communication Dr. Wazhmah Osman, MSP/ Media & Communication Dr. Sean L. Yom, External Member, Political Science ABSTRACT Political legitimacy is a fundamental problem in the modern state. According to Habermas (1973), current legitimation methods are losing the sufficiency needed to support political systems and decisions. In response, Habermas (1987) developed the theory of communicative action as a new method for establishing political legitimacy. The current study applies the communicative action theory to Kuwait’s current political transformation. This study addresses the nature of the foundation of Kuwait, the regional situation, the internal political context, and the current economic challenges. The specific political transformation examined in this study is a national development project known as Vision of 2035 supported by the Amir as the head of the state. The project aims to develop a third of Kuwait’s land and five islands as special economic zones (SEZ). The project requires new legislation that would fundamentally change the political and economic identity of the country. The study applies the communicative action theory in order to achieve a mutual understanding between different groups in Kuwait regarding the project’s features and the legislation required to achieve them. ii DEDICATION ﻟﻠﺤﺎﻟﻤﯿﻦ ﻗﺒﻞ اﻟﻨﻮم ... اﻟﻌﺎﻣﻠﯿﻦ ﺑﻌﺪه iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my parents, my wife Aminah, and my children Lulwa, Bader, and Zaina: Your smiles made this journey easier every day. I am grateful to my mentor and advisor, Dr. Nancy Morris. She taught me by example how kindness and seriousness can coexist. Dr. Morris’s dedication to and support of this research will not be forgotten. I am thankful to Dr. Brian Creech and Dr. Wazhmah Osman. Their thoughtful insights during the last four years made differences in my academic life. Also, it was a great pleasure that Dr. Sean Yom joined the dissertation committee as an external reader. I was fortunate to have such a great scholar and expert on the committee. Lastly, I was blessed by unconditional support from H.E. Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Alsabah. This dissertation would not have been accomplished without his trust and support. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ II DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. IV LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... X CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 5 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................ 6 Communicative Action Theory ............................................................................ 6 Research Concept ................................................................................................. 8 2. KUWAIT ...................................................................................................................... 11 The Establishment .............................................................................................. 13 Kuwait And Its Neighbors .................................................................................. 17 Saudi Arabia ....................................................................................................... 17 Contemporary Saudi Arabia. ................................................................ 23 Iraq ...................................................................................................................... 25 The Gulf War I. .................................................................................... 29 Gulf War Ii. .......................................................................................... 30 Iran ...................................................................................................................... 31 3. KUWAIT FROM INSIDE ............................................................................................ 38 v Pre-Oil Political Economy .................................................................................. 39 Faith In Democracy ............................................................................................ 44 The Political Economy Of Kuwait ..................................................................... 52 Resource Curse..................................................................................... 52 Policy Making In Kuwait ..................................................................... 55 The Impact Of The Legislative System ............................................... 58 The Role Of Labor And Market ........................................................... 60 Past Reform Efforts .............................................................................. 63 4. THE ISSUE OF TRUST IN POLITICAL LIFE IN KUWAIT .................................... 66 Conceptualizing Trust And Distrust ................................................................... 67 Trust And Distrust .............................................................................................. 70 Typology And Conceptual Definition Of Trust ................................... 72 Trust And Distrust: Differ In Degree Or Kind? ................................................. 75 Potential Conceptualization And Constructs ...................................................... 77 Trusting Beliefs And Institution-Based Trust ...................................... 79 Trust And Legitimacy ......................................................................................... 82 Communication, Legitimacy And Distrust ......................................................... 85 5. LEGITIMACY, FOUNDATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIVE ACTION ........................................................................................ 87 Principles To Be Considered .............................................................................. 89 The Mechanism Of Crisis ................................................................................... 91 Legitimation Debates .......................................................................................... 92 Legitimation Problem ......................................................................................... 95 vi The Features Of The Modern State .................................................................... 97 The Emergence Of The Legitimacy Crisis ......................................................... 99 Communicative Action ..................................................................................... 100 Communicative Action And Language ............................................................ 101 Theory Of Meaning And Validity ...................................................... 101 Theory Of Action ............................................................................... 102 Orientation To Success And Orientation To Reaching Understanding ............................................................................................................ 103 Meaning And Validity........................................................................ 105 6. THE CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT ......................................................... 108 7. METHOD ................................................................................................................... 114 Participants: In-Depth Interviews ...................................................... 118 Focus Groups ..................................................................................... 120 2.5 Waves of data gathering ............................................................................. 121 Political Body ..................................................................................... 122 Decision Makers................................................................................. 122 Data Analysis ..................................................................................... 123 8. FINDINGS: TRUST AND SCOPE OF CHANGE .................................................... 125 The Need for A Blank Check ........................................................................... 125 The System And Institutions. ............................................................. 125 The Public Trust. ................................................................................ 128 Evolution of Institutions Or Revolution Against The System .......................... 132 The Constitution From A Revolutionary View. ................................. 133 vii Visionary Leadership ........................................................................
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