History of Kuwait

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Kuwait oil production facilities set on fire by Iraqis during the 2nd Gulf War (photo taken on March 2, 1991)

Kuwait's independent history began in the 18th century. Islamic since the 7th century, the Sheikdom of Kuwait was founded by the dynasty of as-Sabah in 1756 after the tribe had settled the area since 1716. The sheikdom was subject to the suzerainty of the Ottomans . After the Ottomans tried harder to actually enforce their sovereignty in the 19th century, Kuwait became a British protectorate in 1899 and broke away from the Ottomans. After 1919 the Saudi Wahhabis waged several campaigns against Kuwait. It was not until 1940 that Saudi Arabia recognized Kuwait . Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (1921–1950) had already accepted the title of Emir in 1939 .

After large oil reserves were discovered in 1938, the country rose to become the largest oil producer in the Persian Gulf after the Second World War . The modernization of the country and the development of a social system were financed with the large income . In 1960 Kuwait was a founding member of OPEC with Iran , Iraq , Saudi Arabia and Venezuela . Under Sheikh Abdullah as-Salim as-Sabbah (1950-1965) Kuwait gained independence in 1961. To prevent an Iraqi annexation, the Arab League dispatched an inter-Arab security force to protect Kuwait.

Although independence from Iraq was recognized in 1963, Kuwait had to repeatedly defend itself against Iraqi territorial claims in the years that followed. In 1973 Iraq annexed the border areas that the British had handed over from the Ottoman Empire to Kuwait in 1915. In 1981 Kuwait was a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council . During the 1st Gulf War between Iran and Iraq (1980–1988), Kuwait provided Iraq with very strong financial support. However, tensions had increased since 1987 when Iraq called for debt relief and the cession of some islands from Kuwait.

On August 2, 1990, Kuwait was occupied by Iraqi troops and, after a brief puppet rule, Alaa Hussein Ali was annexed on August 8. As a result, the country was recaptured by an international coalition under the leadership of the USA during the 2nd Gulf War (January 15 to February 27, 1991), and the border was again corrected in favor of Kuwait.

In the period that followed, some democratic reforms were introduced, which, however, hardly changed the absolute power of the Sabah clan. Islamic and fundamentalist parties have had a majority in parliament since 1996. In 2003, Kuwait was the starting point for the invasion of Iraq by US forces.

See also

Web links

Commons : History of Kuwait  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files