Relationship dossier
Kuwait
Yemen
Relationship assessment
Kuwaiti support for Yemen contrasts with a history of political strain and Yemen’s divided authority.
Kuwait toward Yemen
+35Kuwait has provided humanitarian assistance to Yemen, participated in the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government, and hosted UN-sponsored peace negotiations in 2016.
Yemen toward Kuwait
-5Yemen’s government opposed the use of force against Iraq in 1990, a position that contributed to serious strain with Kuwait. Later governments restored cooperation, although the extent of subsequent bilateral conduct is unclear.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines concrete Kuwaiti humanitarian and diplomatic support for Yemen with the legacy of the 1990 rupture. Later cooperation has improved ties, while Yemen’s fragmented political authority complicates their present character.
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
Kuwait has supported Yemen through humanitarian assistance, participation in the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis, and hosting UN-sponsored peace negotiations in 2016. Relations were seriously strained after Yemen’s government opposed the use of force against Iraq in 1990, but later cooperation has included support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Yemen’s divided political authority makes the scope of current bilateral policy difficult to characterize.
Areas of tension
- Yemen’s government opposed the use of force against Iraq in 1990, straining relations with Kuwait.
Key developments
Yemen’s government opposed the use of force against Iraq, contributing to a rupture in relations with Kuwait.
Kuwait hosted UN-sponsored peace negotiations among Yemen’s warring parties.
Kuwait participated in the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and continuity of Kuwaiti humanitarian and political support are unclear.
- Yemen’s divided authority complicates assessment of current government policy toward Kuwait.