It is not glib to say that the year 2016 was a very challenging year for many countries around the globe. Trump is one of the latest misfortunes to be unleashed like a caged animal on all that's left of political grace and tolerance. Countries including Belgium, France, Turkey and the United States suffered horrendous terrorist attacks. Wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen continue the madness. At home, Kuwait's newest parliament has gotten off to a rocky start and few have high hopes that it will achieve any good for the people of Kuwait this year.

The world is interconnected - however, this article will not review the past events on a global scale. Instead, it will focus on where we are headed to as Kuwaitis in 2017. It will attempt to understand the reasons behind the lethargy and lack of confidence that has seemed to have overtaken us. It will attempt to identify why we have lost our hope for the future and hopefully surmise how we might get it back.

Kuwait has a wealth of untapped potential - and I do not mean in buried oil. The people of Kuwait can reach great heights. It's true we are surrounded on all sides by conflict and instability. Revolts and massacres close to the Kuwaiti borders cause anxiety and tensions between various parties in the Kuwaiti parliament and keep us embroiled in constant - and unnecessary - conflicts. We are distracted and unfocused rather than buckling down and keeping our eye on the ball to rebuild Kuwait to her former and future glory.

Moreover, geopolitical analysts have warned that countries of the size and weight of Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait will eventually be swallowed up by neighboring giants. So the bad news of 2016 is not "out of our concern". Therefore, it is understandable that tensions between various parties in the Kuwaiti parliament have deviated from their familiar cases. The divisions are divided, in 2016, with allegiance to either Iran or Saudi Arabia, the giants of the Middle East.

The corruption in the government sector has reached all-new heights. The crablike pace of all governmental processes and paperwork undermines our productivity. To open a new restaurant or an institution that only takes a space of a family-size flat in a rundown building requires the infamous "wasta", not to mention key money (another vile import that we should outlaw). Lack of seriousness and speed has disappointed the younger generations and frustrated their efforts to develop themselves and the Kuwaiti economy. Some government efforts are helping - such as the commerce ministry's new office for expediting paperwork for small and medium enterprises. But this is the tip of the iceberg of what requires changing.

Kuwait is considered to be the target of wealth acquisition more than the "motherland" that needs building. Historically, this piece of desert was deserted for its extreme heat and its very poor agricultural possibilities. However, after the advent of the "black gold", more tribes from Iraq and Saudi Arabia found their comfort in the "Kout". "Kout" is a logistical term that meant the storage of goods and services. Nonetheless, these "goods" gravitated all the tribes to a novel central identity. Kuwaitis after the Iraqi invasion have never been more gravitated towards their nationality, for which they paid with their blood and tears. Sadly, in 2017, Kuwaitis are aware that the "Kout attitude" is gaining more ground than "Kuwaiti-ness".

By Jeri Al Jeri