Relationship dossier
Jordan
Kuwait
Relationship assessment
Relations recovered from Gulf crisis-era strain, with development financing and lingering historical sensitivities.
Jordan toward Kuwait
+20Jordan’s position during Iraq’s 1990 occupation of Kuwait strained relations. The two governments later restored relations, but the scale of Jordan’s subsequent concrete cooperation with Kuwait is unclear.
Kuwait toward Jordan
+35Kuwait has supported development in Jordan through financing from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. Relations were strained after Jordan’s position during the 1990–1991 Gulf crisis, then recovered.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines recovery and development cooperation with a serious historical rupture. Kuwait Fund financing for projects in Jordan provides a concrete basis for cooperation, while the dispute over Jordan’s stance during Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait remains a significant source of historical sensitivity.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Jordan and Kuwait restored relations after serious strain during the 1990–1991 Gulf crisis. Since then, economic cooperation has included Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development financing for projects in Jordan. The relationship also retains the legacy of disagreement over Jordan’s position during Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait.
Areas of tension
- Jordan’s position during Iraq’s 1990 occupation of Kuwait strained bilateral relations.
Key developments
Jordan’s position during Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait caused a serious bilateral rupture.
Jordan and Kuwait restored diplomatic relations after the Gulf crisis.
The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development financed development projects in Jordan.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of recent bilateral economic and security cooperation are unclear.
- The extent to which the Gulf crisis continues to shape government policy is uncertain.