Kuwaiti Sheikh Amir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dies at 91

The ruler of Kuwait, Sheikh Amir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, died Tuesday, following a serious stroke suffered in 2019. He was 91. The leader was known globally as the longtime ruler of the small Gulf state who forged a close relationship with the United States and often acted as a peacekeeper in the Middle East.

Sheikh Sabah was being treated by a medical team in the United States following bladder surgery in July. He will be succeeded by his half-brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, who at 83-years old, is also in poor health.

Among those in contention to lead the country after Sheikh Nawaf are son; nephew Sheikh Nasser al-Sabah, the country's former defense minister; and the country's former prime minister, Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed.

Sheikh Sabah led Kuwait since 2006, but held the position of foreign minister for 40 years prior to his ascent. The small country acquired independence from Britain in 1961.

During the 1991 Gulf War, Secretary of State James A. Baker worked closely and frequently with Sheikh Sabah, calling him a sound leader and valuable conveyer of stability. 

"Kuwait, the Middle East and the world will miss his steady and thoughtful hand," Baker told The Wall Street Journal.