Kuwait

My week in Kuwait was the first time I had been in the (non-African) Arab world.  My first impression was that it's just a hot, dusty, urban center.

However, my guide N, who's been teaching there for five years, helped me see more.  First a little history.

Not too long ago, Kuwait was simply a fishing and trading port.

Bedouin roots can be seen in the city's livestock market.

Oil wealth has created a gleaming metropolis with interesting modern architecture.

The invasion by Iraq and liberation by Allies is already 20 years in the past.

Besides the 20-year anniversary of the liberation from Iraq, this year Kuwait is celebrating 50 years of independence (from Britain).  Read more at http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NDAwNzM0Nzk3

So, what is Kuwait's current identity? Some unique buildings?

Islam?

Cultural institutions like the "diwaniya?"

The diwaniya is both the place and the gathering, where men get together and talk.  (http://www.kuwaitagenda.com/en/uncategorized/254-al-diwaniya-in-kuwaits-culture.html)

Multinational institutions, like the universities which attract faculty from around the world?

The teaching staff from Kuwait University's Faculty of Science, Department of English, include people from Lebanon, Sierra Leone, the U.S., India, and more.

The ability to enjoy a comfortable life-style?

The oil-rich government subsidizes mortgages

Shopping is a common past-time.  Here: a traditional perfumery.  (Frankincense originated in this part of the world. "Bukhur" and "oud" are special forms Arabs especially value.)  (For more see http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NjMxNjc4Nzc1)

"The Avenues," expanding to become, they say, the largest mall in the Middle East.

Picnicking at a waterfront park.

Enjoying jet-skis on the waterfront.

Such a lifestyle comes with costs:

Most of the unskilled laborers, from household help to trash collectors to builders, are immigrants from places like Bangla Desh, Pakistan and the Philippines.  Even entrepreneurs, bankers, and professors may come from Egypt or India.

Huge income gaps between locals and unskilled immigrant labor (with policies that provide no hope of moving up in society)  creates a two-tiered society.

Kuwait has the potential to make our interconnected world work well together.  Let's hope they get it right!