• Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Middle East logoCarnegie lettermark logo
LebanonIran
{
  "authors": [
    "Carole Nakhle"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Gulf",
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

The Future of the Kuwaiti Economy

Kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world, but due to its lack of economic diversification, any potential decline in the oil price could cause serious problems to its economy.

Link Copied
By Carole Nakhle
Published on May 7, 2014

Source: VoiceAmerica

 
“Kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world, and the situation looks pretty rosy these days for one reason—which is high oil prices,” said Carnegie's Carole Nakhle on VoiceAmerica’s “Emerging and Frontier Markets Investing” with host Gavin Graham.

Even though Kuwait is producing an average of 2.8 to three million barrels a day, Nakhle said that the situation is also worrisome: “You have eighty percent of government revenue coming from the oil sector. So, there are no other sectors in the economy to compensate for any potential decline in oil price. That would be a key concern for the sustainability of the Kuwaiti economy.”

Discussing foreign investment, Nakhle said that Project Kuwait, a project put in place in the mid-1990s that required oil companies to be involved in the upstream sector without really owning the production had been “nearly forgotten,” because the Kuwaitis “didn’t want the foreign investors—not even to have control over operational management.”

Nakhle added that if there is a potential deal in Iran, it would be interesting to find out “what kind of agreements or contracts Iran would offer to investors and whether Kuwait would learn from what its neighbor will be doing.” 

This interview was broadcasted on VoiceAmerica’s “Emerging and Frontier Markets Investing.”

About the Author

Carole Nakhle

Former Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Center

Nakhle was a nonresident scholar at Carnegie Middle East Center, specializing in international petroleum contracts and fiscal regimes for the oil and gas industry, world oil and gas market developments, energy policy, and oil and gas revenue management.

    Recent Work

  • Article
    Nuclear Energy’s Future in the Middle East and North Africa

      Carole Nakhle

  • In The Media
    ISIL Sells Its Oil, But Who Is Buying It?

      Carole Nakhle

Carole Nakhle
Former Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Center
Carole Nakhle
EconomyGulfMiddle East

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    What Does the Strait of Hormuz’s Closure Mean?

    In an interview, Roger Diwan discusses where the global economy may be going in the third week of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

      Nur Arafeh

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Tehran’s Easy Targets

    In an interview, Andrew Leber discusses the impact the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran is having on Arab Gulf states.

      Michael Young

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    The Gulf Conflict and the South Caucasus

    In an interview, Sergei Melkonian discusses Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s careful balancing act among the United States, Israel, and Iran.

      Armenak Tokmajyan

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Shockwaves Across the Gulf

    The countries in the region are managing the fallout from Iranian strikes in a paradoxical way.

      • Angie Omar

      Angie Omar

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    The U.S. Risks Much, but Gains Little, with Iran

    In an interview, Hassan Mneimneh discusses the ongoing conflict and the myriad miscalculations characterizing it.

      Michael Young

Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Carnegie Middle East logo, white
  • Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.