{"id":9714,"date":"2011-07-27T18:11:50","date_gmt":"2011-07-27T14:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/?p=9714"},"modified":"2011-07-27T19:33:46","modified_gmt":"2011-07-27T15:33:46","slug":"the-dangerous-spiral-in-kuwait-iraq-relations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/middle-east-politics-analysis\/the-dangerous-spiral-in-kuwait-iraq-relations\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangerous Spiral in Kuwait Iraq Relations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/slant_well_design.gif\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9715\" title=\"slant_well_design\" src=\"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/slant_well_design-e1311775871791.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"318\" \/><\/a>I recently wrote an <a href=\"http:\/\/mideast.foreignpolicy.com\/posts\/2011\/07\/20\/kuwatis_war_of_words_with_iraq\">article <\/a>for Foreign Affairs discussing the ever-worsening Kuwaiti-Iraqi relationship. You should give it a read.<\/p>\n<p>I note today with neither joy nor vindication a further <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kuwaittimes.net\/read_news.php?newsid=Nzk0MTk2NTA3\">worsening <\/a>of their relationship. Specifically, an Iraqi MP has accused Kuwait of stealing Iraq\u2019s oil with \u2018slant drilling\u2019. This comment, as infuriating as it is by itself, is all the worse given the historical resonance with which it is loaded loaded: Saddam Hussein said the same thing as one of his pretexts for invading Kuwait.<\/p>\n<p>At the moment the relationship is entering a spiral. Comments from deliberately provocative MPs on both sides purely designed to please a domestic audience are making things worse. This patch of deliberate provocation will pass.<\/p>\n<p>Then, cool-headed MPs must prevail upon their counterparts to reset this relationship for everyone\u2019s sake, using the real benefits which are possible should the two neighboring countries come together as a carrot. Needless to say, these MPs will have a hard time, for it is infinitely easier to prey on the public\u2019s prickly fears and prejudices than it is to ask for a mature and long-term thinking approach<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DAVID ROBERTS: There seems to be little attention paid to the continuing worsening in relations between Kuwait and Iraq.  That may change as we appear to be entering a downward spiral. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":9715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[154,173,82,220,186,483,60,482],"tags":[18321,18315,406,3008],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9714"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}