Iraq and Kuwait Are Beginning a Beautiful Friendship

Aug 15, 2019 | Bobby Gosh
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Last month, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi declared that “the future prospects are far greater than the fears and obstacles between the two countries.” Earlier in the summer, Kuwait’s emir visited Baghdad, his first solo trip there; President Barham Salih of Iraq traveled to Kuwait City for the first time last winter.

This diplomatic confidence-building has great strategic purpose for Baghdad. Iraq, caught between two regional crises — the faceoff between the U.S. and Iran in the Gulf, and the deepening animosity between Saudi Arabia and the Tehran regime — recognizes Kuwait as a relatively safe harbor. The emirate maintains cordial relationships with all three of those antagonists, allowing it to deepen economic ties with Iraq without arousing suspicion or animosity.

For Kuwait, Iraq is a giant market and investment opportunity at its doorstep. It is also an escape from other tensions in the Arabian Peninsula. It is wary of the growing ambitions of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf Cooperation Council, and uncomfortable with the embargo imposed by those countries (along with Bahrain and Egypt) on Qatar. Iraq is one of the few places in the neighborhood where Kuwait can stretch its foreign-policy legs.