Saudi and Iraq: The Border as a Catalyst for Cooperation

Number: 51
Javier Bordón

From 2014 onwards, Saudi-Iraqi relations depict an emerging set of drivers at the international, domestic and decision-making levels framing the steps in a process of bilateral rapprochement. Among the various aspects in which cooperative schemes are gaining momentum, the present paper deals with the untapped potential of the Saudi-Iraqi land border, its idiosyncrasy, challenges and opportunities. For doing so, the analysis will unfold in the areas of border security, cross-border infrastructure and regulation, trade, oil transport, electricity interconnection and religious pilgrimage.