Kuwaitis were heartbroken over the betrayal and the barbaric invasion. Kuwaitis returned fire and fought bravely. During the 1990’s, patriotic feelings were very deep. There were reforms and less corruption because Kuwait was rebuilt by energetic youths and men who wanted change. All the efforts were channeled towards responding to the enemies, punishing them for their atrocities, and building a better and stronger nation.

As the years went by, the spirit of corruption started crawling in. Special attempts were made to westernize the Kuwaiti people and move them away from their Arab and Islamic values. Reformists lost some battles and won others, but the spirit of optimism did not weaken. 15 years after the invasion, Kuwaiti society was on the verge of forgetting the invasion ordeal. During those years, corruption cases shattered the unity structure and attempted to divide society into sects.

In an attempt to westernize Kuwaiti society, some people started fighting the Arab and Muslim cultures, as well as our beautiful language. Private schools and universities were opened with catchy advertisements to attract students and high school students. Some educated ones became preoccupied with self-defense and irrelevant matters. Most citizens were busy struggling to impose western ideas on Kuwait, contrary to what the people wanted. Years later, it became clear that corruption had succeeded in dividing Kuwaiti society.

The flame of optimism began to fade. There were some people who wanted to spread hatred and division. These people encourage criminality, ‘wasta’, discrimination, and corruption. There were people who saw themselves as being above the law. This continued throughout the 21st century. I hope the “New Kuwait” slogan will become a reality and restore the good spirit. We need to reconstruct and develop Kuwait.