Keeping the lid on Iraq
Reviving the Kuwait sovereignty issue would be disastrous for Iraq
Not that old chestnut again. Iraqi MP Awatef Neema in early February stirred unsettling memories when she pronounced that Kuwait was part of Iraq under the jurisdiction of Basra. She was echoing the nationalist war cry frequently heard in Saddam Hussein's era and which provided the spurious justification for his 1990 invasion of the neighbouring emirate. Surely, with the end of Saddam's dictatorship and the trauma of the disastrous Kuwait adventure not forgotten, that particular evil should now be firmly back inside Pandora's box. The remarks of one MP don't, of course, constitute official thinking. But they clearly still reflect the view of some Iraqis and are a reminder of the dangerous co

Also in this section
20 May 2025
Mediterranean-focused gas producer looks to replicate Israel success story and is hunting projects across the continent, with particular interest in West Africa
19 May 2025
The two Gulf states are combining fossil fuel production with ambitions to become leaders in low-carbon energy
15 May 2025
Financial problems, lack of exploration success and political dogma cause uncertainty across much of the region
14 May 2025
The invisible hand of the market has seen increasing transparency but much more needs to be done to build a better understanding