"DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA and KUWAIT" PAGE

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are neighbor countries that have a lot in common. But what people do not realize is how different Kuwait is also from Saudi Arabia. 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 Sheikh 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 royalty and a 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 alonside the US in the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait

  • 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 privilged 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
  • Is ruled by a royalty and a 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 alonside the US in the Gulf War to liberate itself

  • 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 in Kuwait
  • 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