If anyone out there in the Arab world has any doubts about Kuwait's free press, today would be a good day for a run through the papers to see for yourself what we're made of. Up till today, the press had been showing remarkable restraint in responding to the hostile attacks and insults being hurled at us from all over the Arab world. Today, however, the gloves have come off and we're "giving as good as we're getting". I will attempt to summarize a few of today's notable editorials in Al-Qabas - in my humble opinion, Kuwait's best daily newspaper.

Arab visitors, please click here for Al-Qabas's website and go to the "Kuttab" (columnists) section... I was waiting to see what Dr. Ahmad Al-Rubei had to say about how his live interview was cut off the air last Wednesday night. I know the man personally, and trust me, you do NOT want to get on his bad side - he will rip you to shreds but with facts and figures not noise and bluster. Anyway, I see he's taken the high road and chosen not to address the issue. Instead he calls on Kuwaitis not to despair in these difficult times and not to lose faith in our cause in the face of the hostility directed at us. We are on the right side of this issue and the truth will prevail.

My cousin Abdul-Latif Al-Duaij (my favorite columnist) asks if Arab nations opposing this war can see beyond their noses. He says that they have, in effect, raised their voices in support of brutal totalitarians everywhere and confirmed to the world that this the system that they prefer to live under...... The toughest editorial by far today comes from my other cousin Hassan Al-Essa who took the Syrian regime to task and probably said what nobody's had the guts to say to them in a long time. To sum up, he lambasted them for their claims that Iraq's sovereignty was under threat while they have been manipulating Lebanon's sovereignty since the civil war came to an end, not to mention forcing Lebanon to fight a war with Israel by proxy to regain the Golan Heights, and suffering Israeli attacks in return.

This war is just as much a war of words as it is a war of guns and bombs, and no doubt we'll be subjected to many attacks in the days, weeks and months to come. Opinions are so polarized across the Arab world alone that it will take years to heal the rifts wrought by this war.

Here are links to Kuwait's other daily papers: Al-Watan, Al- Rai Al-Aam, Al-Seyassah... and the liberal weekly Al-Talea. And here are links to our two English dailies Kuwait Times, and Arab Times