In the early s, the British protectorate of Kuwait held about two-thirds more land than it does today. Kuwaiti leadership was unhappy, but borders in the Arabian Peninsula then were relatively flexible. While borders have hardened in the years since, the area between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia has remained undefined, even in when oil was discovered in southern Kuwait.
For years, the two states have coordinated and equally shared the profits from oil production here. But in , a new dispute emerged between Kuwait and Saudi over the Divided Zone. Currently, Kuwait and Saudi relations are going through a strong phase.
As the relationship moves forward, any bad blood between the neighbors appears to have been forgotten. Kuwait is an oil-rich state on the Persian Gulf that is a bit bigger than Connecticut.
It is part of the Gulf Cooperation Council , an economic and political agreement between six states in the Persian Gulf region. And while Kuwait cares strongly about its own sovereignty and national identity, it shares strong commonalities with others in the region.
A special relationship is only natural if starting from the basic unit β the family. Many families branched out from the central peninsula to seaside areas, whether to Kuwait or other Gulf states. Kinship, language, religion, culture, and history ties more than it divides. For nations in the Persian Gulf region, borders have historically been fluid or flexible.
