Common Ground on Iraq-Kuwait Reconciliation [Paperback]

Sami al-Faraj (Author), Laith Kubba (Author), Brent Thompson (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0964747413 | ISBN-13: 978-0964747418 | Publication Date: August 1, 1998 | Edition: 1

This ground breaking work is the first jointly authored book by an Iraqi and a Kuwaiti since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The two authors discuss future relations between Iraq and Kuwait, including improving them through various confidence-building measures. Their perspectives help make clearer the areas of concern that will eventually need to be addressed in greater depth at the official level.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A valuable and unique contribution for a better understanding...sensible solutions for one of the great unresloved Middle East Conflicts." -- Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs, The Nixon Center, Washington, DC.

"SCGME's project to promote Iraq-Kuwait reconciliation represents a groundbreaking effort..." -- Gary Sick, Executive Director, Gulf/2000 Project, Columbia University

"[Their dialogue] raises key issues in a direct but non-confrontational manner. -- Phoebe Marr, author of History of Iraq

Product Details

• Paperback: 125 pages
• Publisher: Search for Common Ground; 1 edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964747413
• ISBN-13: 978-0964747418
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,152,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Common Ground on Iraq-Kuwait Reconciliation., August 5, 2001

By 

Daniel Pipes, Middle East Forum, Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Common Ground on Iraq-Kuwait Reconciliation (Paperback)

The Washington-based organization Search for Common Ground breaks new ground by bringing together Faraj, a Kuwaiti strategist, and Kubba, an Iraqi opposition leader, to explore the possibilities of resolving their countries' differences, post-Saddam Husayn. To ensure more than a casual conversation, the two men agreed "to engage in a year-long process of facilitated consultation,"during which they repeatedly presented their results to seminars of specialists.

The seemingly cheery results of this project are premised on Kubba's willingness to concede Kuwait's right to exist as an independent state. After this, it's just a matter of working out the details. But, as in the parallel case of the Arabs and Israel, a quick acceptance of the enemy's right to exist is not enough. The Iraqi opposition no less than the Iraqi population as a whole needs to prove that it has thoroughly, explicitly, and permanently renounced its ambitions to destroy a sovereign state. Unfortunately, as in the case of Israel, so too in this one much reticence remains, at least judging by Kubba's remarks. The reader must be very alert to find his brief and equivocal acceptance of Kuwait; the rest of his lengthy analysis consists in large part of demands on Kuwait (for access to the sea, economic aid, and a dismantling of its security apparatus). Even more alarming, Kubba finds that Kuwaiti connections to the United States "may irritate or even threaten Iraq," and so demands the removal of American troops. Overall, Kubba implies that Kuwait has as much responsibility as Iraq for past problems and so equal responsibility for their repair. Insofar as all this represents Iraqi oppositional thinking, it is not a good sign. His approach exudes reluctance and holding out until Iraq is again strong, when its rulers can at their leisure reassess their Kuwait policy.

The Middle East's twentieth-century experience suggests that conflicts there end not due to good will but exhaustion and misery. "Peace" means not harmony but mutual deterrence. Reading between the lines of Kubba's analysis shows that an apparent acceptance of Kuwait on further reflection in fact represents continued hostility.

Middle East Quarterly, March 1999