Kuwait (country)

VI

History

The area around Kuwait has been settled for thousands of years, although the harsh physical conditions have led to shifting populations. The Kuwaiti island of Faylakah was home to an important Bronze Age settlement 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. This settlement was linked to the ancient trading culture of Dilmun, which was centered on the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, to the south. The ancient Greeks built a fortress on Faylakah in the 4th century bc and knew the island as Ikaros.

A

The Sabah Monarchy

In the 18th century ad several groups migrated from the interior of the Arabian Peninsula and settled at the site of present-day Kuwait city. One family, the Sabahs, established themselves as rulers. Economic activity centered around pearling and long-distance trade. In the late 19th century the British established a presence in the area to secure the lines of communication and transportation to India. In particular, the British formed close relationships with local rulers who were anxious to assert their autonomy from the Ottoman Empire, which controlled much of the area. In 1899 Mubarak al-Sabah, then ruler of Kuwait, signed an agreement with Britain, making Kuwait a protectorate of the British Empire. Britain gained control over Kuwait’s foreign and defense affairs and in return protected Kuwait and allowed the Sabahs to rule over internal affairs.

Oil was discovered in Kuwait in the late 1930s, but not until after World War II (1939-1945) did Kuwait begin to export large quantities of oil. Oil wealth transformed the society. Large-scale construction and economic development became possible, and since the government controlled oil revenues, the power of the Sabah family grew as well. Oil wealth also brought more contact with the outside world, and many younger Kuwaitis favored the pan-Arab movement, which sought greater ties among Arab countries.

B

Independence

In 1961 Britain granted independence to Kuwait. Iraq, which had long claimed Kuwait was part of southern Iraq, argued that Kuwait had been separated from it illegitimately. After being pressured by Arab countries and Britain, Iraq eventually backed down from its claim. The emir of Kuwait nonetheless felt it necessary to promote national unity. He allowed elections for a constituent assembly, which took place in late 1961, and the assembly wrote a constitution the following year that guaranteed the Sabah’s dominance but allowed the people a role in government. On two occasions, in 1976 and 1986, the emir’s successors suspended parts of the constitution, but on both occasions they later consented to renew constitutional life.

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In the 1960s and 1970s Kuwait became a leading, although not radical, voice in support of Arab nationalism and Palestinian claims to a homeland. Pan-Arabism was popular, especially among students, and many Kuwaiti teachers and journalists were Palestinians. In 1980, when war broke out between Iran and Iraq (see Iran-Iraq War), Kuwait helped the Arab Iraqis even though it exposed them to Iranian attacks.

C

Persian Gulf War and Recent Developments

In 1990 relations with Iraq worsened. Iraq accused Kuwait of exceeding OPEC production quotas for oil and “stealing” more than $2 billion in oil from a contested reserve that lay beneath both countries. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein also demanded Kuwait cancel the debt Iraq owed from the Iran-Iraq War and revived Iraq’s claims of sovereignty over Kuwait. When Hussein mobilized Iraqi troops on the border in late July, Kuwait had neither the military might nor the external protection to prevent an invasion. On August 2 Iraq invaded Kuwait and quickly overwhelmed Kuwaiti forces. An international force assembled in neighboring Saudi Arabia and evicted Iraq from Kuwait after six weeks of fighting in early 1991.

As the Iraqis retreated, much of Kuwait’s industry, infrastructure, and buildings were destroyed. Among the most heavily damaged were palaces of the royal family, government and other public buildings, oil wells, and roads. Looting was widespread, on both an individual and organized basis: Entire collections from libraries, museums, and laboratories were transported to Iraq. Since the war, Kuwait has been largely rebuilt.

In 1994 Iraq again massed troops near the Kuwaiti border. Following months of diplomatic pressure from the UN and military buildup by the United States and its allies, Iraq withdrew troops from the border. Hussein also signed a decree formally accepting Kuwait’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, effectively ending Iraq’s claim to Kuwait. Kuwait served as the launching point for the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which overthrew Hussein’s regime (see U.S.-Iraq War).

Following elections in July 2003 in which liberal candidates lost ground to Islamists and government supporters, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah was appointed as prime minister by the emir. This was the first time in the country’s history that the roles of crown prince and prime minister had been separated. The separation of powers had been a key modification demanded by reform groups.

In May 2005 the National Assembly approved an amendment to Kuwait’s election law that granted women full political rights, including the right to vote and run for political office. Previously, the constitution restricted these rights to men even though the constitution barred discrimination on the basis of gender. In June Massouma al-Mubarak was appointed minister of planning and became Kuwait’s first woman cabinet minister.

In January 2006 the emir of Kuwait died. His cousin, Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah, had long been designated his successor. However, Sheikh Saad was in ill-health and unable to take the oath of office. The ruling family remained divided on succession, but after ten days it allowed the National Assembly to designate the emir: the prime minister and late emir’s brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah. In June 2006 elections for the National Assembly, 32 of the 402 candidates were women, but women failed to win a single seat. A loose coalition of Islamist and reformist candidates won a resounding victory, securing a majority of the seats, according to Kuwaiti media. The reform coalition soon clashed with the government, especially with regard to some cabinet ministers that the coalition deemed inefficient or corrupt.