Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
Abdullah Al Shayji | Gulf News
As Kuwaitis celebrate the country’s 55th independence and quarter of a century of liberation from the Iraqi occupation, it is time to reflect and take stock of what has happened. Have we, Kuwaitis and Iraqis, buried the hatchet? Which slogan best captures the collective Kuwaiti sentiment: “We might forget, but will never forgive”, or “we will never forget and neither will we forgive”? What are the lessons learnt and what are the lessons missed or lost?
It has never happened in Arab politics for a larger neighbour to literally occupy and pillage a smaller neighbour; that was the bitter and brutal truth of what Saddam Hussain, the tyrant of Iraq did, by invading, occupying and erasing Kuwait from the map, making it Iraq’s 19th province. That was a watershed moment in Kuwait’s history. The wanton Iraqi occupation has traumatised and left an indelible mark on the Kuwaiti collective psyche.
In a column in Gulf News on July 25, 2011, titled “Kuwait-Iraq Cold War brewing”, I argued that a cold war was still brewing between the Kuwaitis and the Iraqis. And “it does not seem we have buried the hatchet. On the contrary… this comes at a very critical juncture and brought out all the pent-up anger and the frustrations harboured by Kuwaitis. It reminds Kuwaitis that their problem was not with Saddam Hussain, who is long dead and buried, but rather with Iraq as a system, entity, neighbour and people. This is unfortunate, especially with the seeming thaw of tensions and high-level visits by officials of both countries.”
There have been watershed developments dotting the tenuous years between Kuwait and Iraq. It is true that Kuwait since then has reopened its embassy in Baghdad, and two General Consulates in Arbil in Kurdistan Province and in Basra in southern Iraq. Moreover, Kuwaiti officials made landmark visits to Iraq, led by the Emir’s visit to Baghdad to attend the Arab League summit in March 2012. The Iraq president and prime ministers and foreign minister have visited Kuwait many times, and Kuwait has even opened a General Consulate.
Huge shadow
But today, we gaze at a different Iraq, a different Kuwait and much different, precarious Gulf and Middle East region. Moreover, we are witnessing a worrying retreat of America, a resurgent Iran, an assertive Saudi Arabia and what I call “the GCC era in Arab political order”.
Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
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Abdullah Al Shayji | Gulf News
As Kuwaitis celebrate the country’s 55th independence and quarter of a century of liberation from the Iraqi occupation, it is time to reflect and take stock of what has happened. Have we, Kuwaitis and Iraqis, buried the hatchet? Which slogan best captures the collective Kuwaiti sentiment: “We might forget, but will never forgive”, or “we will never forget and neither will we forgive”? What are the lessons learnt and what are the lessons missed or lost?
It has never happened in Arab politics for a larger neighbour to literally occupy and pillage a smaller neighbour; that was the bitter and brutal truth of what Saddam Hussain, the tyrant of Iraq did, by invading, occupying and erasing Kuwait from the map, making it Iraq’s 19th province. That was a watershed moment in Kuwait’s history. The wanton Iraqi occupation has traumatised and left an indelible mark on the Kuwaiti collective psyche.
In a column in Gulf News on July 25, 2011, titled “Kuwait-Iraq Cold War brewing”, I argued that a cold war was still brewing between the Kuwaitis and the Iraqis. And “it does not seem we have buried the hatchet. On the contrary… this comes at a very critical juncture and brought out all the pent-up anger and the frustrations harboured by Kuwaitis. It reminds Kuwaitis that their problem was not with Saddam Hussain, who is long dead and buried, but rather with Iraq as a system, entity, neighbour and people. This is unfortunate, especially with the seeming thaw of tensions and high-level visits by officials of both countries.”
There have been watershed developments dotting the tenuous years between Kuwait and Iraq. It is true that Kuwait since then has reopened its embassy in Baghdad, and two General Consulates in Arbil in Kurdistan Province and in Basra in southern Iraq. Moreover, Kuwaiti officials made landmark visits to Iraq, led by the Emir’s visit to Baghdad to attend the Arab League summit in March 2012. The Iraq president and prime ministers and foreign minister have visited Kuwait many times, and Kuwait has even opened a General Consulate.
Huge shadow
But today, we gaze at a different Iraq, a different Kuwait and much different, precarious Gulf and Middle East region. Moreover, we are witnessing a worrying retreat of America, a resurgent Iran, an assertive Saudi Arabia and what I call “the GCC era in Arab political order”.
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