Although Iraq advanced several arguments in support of its action, the fundamental reasons behind the invasion of Kuwait were the enduring reasons that led earlier Iraqi regimes to pursue the same outcome. These include control of Kuwait’s oil and wealth, and its front-line military superiority over the Persian army. the Gulf, pan-Arabism under Iraqi leadership, and how to generate public support in the wake of defeat in the Iran-Iraq War. On August 8, Iraq announced its annexation of Kuwait, despite condemnation from the United Nations, major world powers, the Arab League, and the European Community (now the European Union). The intense anti-Iraqi sentiment held by nearly all Kuwaitis, coupled with diplomatic efforts by the Kuwaiti government-in-exile. Saudi Arabia did not stop Iraq from imposing strict rule on Kuwait.
In mid-January 1991, a coalition of states acted under the authority of a coalition of states. The United States and the Saudi-led United Nations launched airstrikes against Iraqi forces, followed five weeks later by ground attacks on Kuwait and Iraq. By the end of February, Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi control. As hundreds of thousands of Kuwaitis returned home from foreign refuges in May, the full extent of the damage caused by invasion, looting and war became clear.
The invasion and occupation affected every aspect of Kuwaiti life. More than half of the population was evacuated during the war. Although most nationals returned during 1991, many non-nationals, especially Palestinians, were not allowed to return. A division arose between those who remained in the resistance and those who fled. Another conflict developed between the majority, which sought political liberalization (particularly parliamentary elections), and the ruling family, whose behavior in exile had caused considerable public disgust in Kuwait. The government’s initial response to impose martial law and stage show trials gave way as reconstruction took a more liberal stance. This led to the 1992 National Assembly elections, in which Muslim candidates and independent candidates with Islamic sympathies were elected.
In 1992, a United Nations commission formally demarcated the border between Iraq and Kuwait in accordance with a United Nations Security Council resolution passed in April 1991 that reaffirmed the inviolability of the border. The commission’s findings were generally favorable to Kuwait, moving the Iraqi border slightly north in the Safwan region and slightly north in the disputed area. The Al Rumaila field gives Kuwait not only additional oil wells, but also part of the Iraqi naval base at Umm Qashr. Kuwait accepted the UN border designation, but Iraq rejected it and continued to assert its claims to Kuwaiti territory.
The continuation of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath regime in Iraq created widespread fear among Kuwaitis that the events of 1990-1991 would be repeated. A tense standoff, exacerbated by Iraqi troop movements along the border, prevailed until 2003, when U.S. and British forces launched an invasion of Iraq from bases primarily in Kuwait. Collapse of the Baath regime The Iraq war was greeted with great relief in Kuwait, which provided critical logistical support to the United States and its allies. However, the subsequent occupation of Iraq (and the attraction of some Kuwaitis to the guerrilla insurgency that Iraq had launched) created new political tensions.
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Political conflict and reform in the early 21st century
After suffering a stroke in 2001, the ruling emir, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, has had little public activity. After Sheikh Jaber’s death in 2006, the Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah temporarily became emir. Though considered too unwell to rule, Sheikh Saad, who had been crown prince since the late 1970s, refused to abdicate in favor of the crown prince, sparking a political crisis. Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah is the country’s former foreign minister and already its de facto leader. The succession crisis was resolved nine days later, but the Kuwaiti parliament voted to remove Saad from office shortly before Saad himself agreed to abdicate.
Political deadlock and crisis led to frequent parliamentary elections in Kuwait in the early 21st century, sometimes less than a year apart. On several occasions, potential interrogations of government officials and subsequent confidence votes have triggered crises, causing Sheikh Sabah to dissolve parliament and call for new elections. Although this averted a crisis in the short term, tensions between the royal family and the parliamentary opposition remained unresolved. At the same time, important political reforms took place. In 2006, the 25-district system that had been in place since 1980 was replaced by a new five-district system designed to discourage tribal conflicts and make vote-buying more difficult. Women gained the right to vote in 2005, and in the May 2009 parliamentary elections, four female candidates became the first women to win parliamentary seats. Despite this progress, observers suggest that unless Kuwait’s political system is reorganized more thoroughly, the country’s pattern of gridlock, with only the emir in a position to resolve it, will continue to recur. did.
An unprecedented public outcry began in late 2011, with corruption allegations sparking demonstrations by youth activists and opposition members, resulting in the prime minister’s dismissal and the dissolution of the pro-government parliament. The new parliament, elected in February 2012 and dominated by opposition parties, frequently clashed with ministers until it was dissolved by the Constitutional Court in June. Facing the possibility that new elections would once again result in an opposition-dominated parliament, the leader in October ordered changes to election rules widely seen as a way to secure a pro-government majority. The move sent thousands of Kuwaiti protesters into the streets, and police broke up the demonstrations with tear gas and stun grenades. Opposition parties boycotted the December elections, resulting in the lowest turnout in decades.
In the mid-2010s, Kuwait, like other oil-producing countries, had to contend with a decline in oil prices that began in late 2014. Faced with a budget deficit, the Kuwaiti government reduced subsidies for electricity, water, and fuel. It was at the highest level in the world. Although these measures were praised by international development organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the sudden rise in consumer prices has given new strength to Kuwait’s political opposition. In the November 2016 vote, opposition groups and candidates aligned with populist policies won almost half of the seats in parliament, which observers saw as a reflection of public dissatisfaction with the government’s austerity measures. was. New tensions between the government and opposition-led parliament have led to the dismissal of several ministers, and several austerity measures, including the government’s plans to introduce a value-added tax (VAT) in line with international agreements for GCC countries, have led to the dismissal of several ministers. The measures fell into one of the following categories: It is blocked or has water on it. Although the urgency of austerity ultimately diminished as global oil prices rose at the end of the 2010s, leaders warned of the need to reduce the country’s dependence on oil.
In 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, oil prices fell again, and with it Kuwait’s ability to cover its costs. At the time of Sheikh Sabah’s death in September, the conflict between parliament and the government over raising the debt ceiling remained unresolved. His half-brother, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, ascended the throne and chose to retain his predecessor’s cabinet, but parliamentary elections in December threatened the government’s debt crisis. Widespread dissatisfaction with the response was registered. Many of the newly elected MPs sought to replace the Speaker of the Legislature, a position seen as favorable to the government, but the Speaker lost the position by a narrow margin, apparently decided by a vote of unelected ministers in Parliament. was maintained. In January 2021, amid ongoing tensions between parliament and the government, members of parliament moved to question the prime minister over cabinet appointments. The prime minister resigned, but was reappointed a few days later by Sheikh Nawaf and ordered to form a new cabinet.
Editor of Encyclopedia Britannica
