Differences: Kuwait & Saudi Arabia

Fahd bin Abdul Aziz

Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz

Naef Bin Abdul Aziz

Salman Bin Abdul Aziz

Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz

Differences between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, CACSA, June 1, 1996

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are neighbor countries that have a lot in common. But what people do not realize is how different Saudi Arabia really is from Kuwait. King Fahd of Saudi Arabia has for years tried to put the pressure on the Kuwaiti ruling family to abolish their parliament and to tighten the grip on their country. In fact, the first discussion he had after the Gulf War with Sheik Jaber al-Sabah, the emir of Kuwait, centered around the subject of undemocracizing Kuwait. The table below gives the common and uncommon points between the two countries.

SAUDI ARABIA

KUWAIT

	Is ruled by a royal family
	Was a British colony
	Relies on oil export for revenues
	Is a member of OPEC
	Holds large amount of oil reserves
	Is a Muslim country
	Speaks an Arabic dialect special to that country
	Historically, its people have been traders and sea goers
	Have social habits that are special to that region (attire, weddings, etc..)
	Have a neighbor enemy : Iraq
	Holds low oil prices as a gesture of goodwill towards the west
	Relies heavily on US expertise to build the country
	Invests its oil revenue reserves in US treasury bills and other US instruments
	Annually import goods from the US worth billions of dollars
	Has military bases and US military experts on its soil
	Fought alongside the US in the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait

	Is ruled by a royal family
	Was a British colony
	Relies on oil export for revenues
	Is a member of OPEC
	Holds large amount of oil reserves
	Is a Muslim country
	Speaks the same Arabic dialect very similar to the Saudi dialect.
	Historically, its people have been traders and sea goers
	Have the same social habits that are special to that region (attire, etc..)
	Share the same neighbor enemy : Iraq
	Holds low oil prices as a gesture of goodwill towards the west
	Relies heavily on US expertise to build the country
	Invests its oil revenue reserves in US treasury bills and other US instruments
	Annually import goods from the US worth billions of dollars.
	Has military bases and US military experts on its soil
	Fought alongside the US in the Gulf War to liberate itself

	There is no Freedom of Expression
	People are beheaded publicly
	There is no Freedom of the Press
	There is no democracy whatsoever
	There is no accountability in Saudi Arabia
	There is rampant and flagrant corruption in Saudi Arabia
	The princes of al-Saud clan are privileged and untouchable
	Saudi Arabia is a secretive society that has many skeletons in its closet
	The Saudi ruling family loots and pilfers the Saudi national treasury
	Women are stripped of their dignity and any freedoms
	Laws in Saudi Arabia are based on a weave of the Koran and a King's whimsical mood
	The Majlis in Saudi Arabia plays the role of a court run by unqualified people
	The Saudi royal family gathers every year to split the loot of the annual budget
	There is no commercial laws to protect against corruption. Any laws existing are disrespected all together
	The Royal family appoints its own members to key positions whether they are qualified or not
	Pre Gulf War numbers, Saudi Arabia had about $100 billion in investments outside the country with 2.5 times the oil revenues of Kuwait
	The royal family uses the funds it stole to corrupt and demoralize, to buy opposition and to silence dissidents
	In 40 years, Saudi Arabia will become a non-existent entity if it remains on this course

	Kuwaiti citizens enjoy Freedom of Expression
	Kuwait has no public beheadings
	Kuwait's press is free and kicking
	Kuwait has a parliament whose majority is elected by Kuwaitis
	The parliament in Kuwait watches Kuwait's oil revenues like a hawk
	Corruption is totally under control in Kuwait. The people do not tolerate corruption.
	The al-Sabah family is modest and reachable
	Kuwait is an open society that has nothing to hide
	The al-Sabah family protects the Kuwaiti national treasury
	Women are treated almost equally and are respected
	Laws in Kuwait are based on the Koran and those not addressed by the Koran are clear and enforceable by a qualified court system
	The Majlis in Kuwait (called Diwaniah) is more of a social democratic gathering
	The Royal family of Kuwait does not interfere in government expenditures
	The Kuwait commercial law protects against corruption and is enforced
	The ruling family only chooses the most qualified individuals to any appointed positions
	Pre Gulf War numbers, Kuwait had about $120 billion in investments outside the country with 2.5 times LESS the oil revenues of Saudi Arabia
	The royal family in Kuwait has annual income modest allocations that are invested to take care of their future. They do not need the funds for any other purpose
	In 40 years, Kuwait will have enough investments to continue prospering and flourishing

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