Kuwait's Politics Before Independence

Kuwait's Politics Before Independence
Author: Abdulrahman Alebrahim
Publisher:
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2019-09
Genre: Constitutional history
ISBN: 9783959940726

This book re-examines the historiography of constitutional development in Kuwait. It argues that existing scholarship on the subject has several shortcomings due to the lack of consideration given to the role played by some important social forces in the Kuwaiti political scene. Most historians working on Kuwait's modern politics have focussed on two forces: the ruling family and the merchants. Although these two actors have undeniably been the most influential, other segments of society, such as the labour force, the villagers, the intelligentsia and the religious scholars, should not be overlooked. These forces have had a decisive impact, with varying levels of influence across time, on the balance of power in Kuwait. This book generates new insights by considering the role of these balancing forces in influencing the struggle between the sheikhs and the merchants over the nature of the political system in Kuwait between 1921 and 1962.

The History of Kuwait

The History of Kuwait
Author: Michael S. Casey
Publisher: Greenwood
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2007-08-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0313340730

Presents a comprehensive history of the nation of Kuwait from the first Mesopotamian settlements as early as 3000 BCE, its independence from British control, occupation by Iraq in 1990, and liberation and reconstruction.

Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah

Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah
Author: Souad M. Al-Sabah
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2015-02-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 0857738526

Sheikh Mubarak was the founder of the modern state of Kuwait. But the man who actually led Kuwait to modernity was his son Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah, one of the most significant figures of Kuwait from the 1940s to Kuwaiti independence in 1961. Largely responsible for the creation of the Kuwaiti defence forces, Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah made a point of prioritising what he saw to be Kuwait's national interests in the face of British, American and Iranian pressures during a crucial period of change. He developed carefully crafted, cautious relations with foreign oil companies and secured Kuwait's economic standing through his driven and single-minded policies. The author here presents this part-biography, part-history of modern Kuwait, with fresh new research and insights. From America's drive to build stronger connections in the region in the 1950s, when both the Cold War and Arab nationalisms were in full play, to sensitive diplomatic issues such as water, border disputes and difficult interactions with Iraq, especially following the 1958 revolution of Abd al-Karim Qasim, the author examines Kuwait's relations with its neighbours and the West, and the role played by this pivotal figure in the country's history and development. This book makes a significant contribution to understanding the complex politics of modern Kuwait and the recent history of the Gulf States.

Oil and Politics in the Gulf

Oil and Politics in the Gulf
Author: Jill Crystal
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 262
Release: 1995-01-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521466356

This book asks why in recent years the social and economic upheavals in Kuwait and Qatar have been accompanied by a remarkable political continuity.

Kuwait's Foreign Policy

Kuwait's Foreign Policy
Author: Abdul-Reda Assiri
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2019-04-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429713487

This book assesses the dynamics of Kuwaiti foreign policy since 1961 and explores the role of Kuwait as a small state in international politics. It analyzes the impact of ideology, religion, and value systems on Kuwaiti foreign policy as well as the impact of domestic forces on political actors.

Kuwait

Kuwait
Author: Abdulkarim Dekhayel
Publisher: Ithaca Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2000
Genre: History
ISBN:

Kuwait gained its official political independence from Britain in 1961. Now an independent modern state, it has been ruled by the Al Sabah family since the mid-18th century. Centring on the Kuwaiti state's functional role in the process of political legitimation in an oil-rentier economy, this book is a study of how the state performs roles aimed to distribute substantial welfare and economic benefits to different segments of Kuwaiti society, and how these benefits enable the Al Sabah regime to win the compliance, acceptance and support of the Kuwaiti people.

The Resilience of Parliamentary Politics in Kuwait

The Resilience of Parliamentary Politics in Kuwait
Author: VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR COURTNEY. FREER
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2024
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0197570364

The first English language political history of Kuwaiti parliament, this book provides an unprecedented holistic treatment of grassroots contemporary Kuwaiti politics in English in over two decades, incorporating the country's political dynamics into broader debates about the limits of authoritarianism and the practice of democracy in the Arab world, particularly in oil-wealthy states. Author Courtney Freer uses the lens of parliamentary elections as a means of understanding the political ideologies that have dominated in Kuwait since independence. As such, it situates the dynamics of Kuwaiti politics within broader political science debates about whether democratic institutions in "hybrid regimes" are meaningful arenas for popular contestation or only serve to enhance autocratic rule. Given the varying portrayals of Kuwait as robust authoritarianism, "upgraded" authoritarianism, or a noteworthy site of democratic participation, The Resilience of Parliamentary Politics in Kuwait: Parliament, Rentierism, and Society focuses on the ideologies that have mobilized political blocs, rather than solely focusing on the institutions of political power themselves. Freer includes extensive fieldwork and the use of Arabic and English primary sources to assess and examine the institutional setting that Kuwait presents and traces the dominant ideological strands in the country, considering the comparative mobilizational potential of ascriptive identities like tribe and sect.

Arab Media Systems

Arab Media Systems
Author: Carola Richter
Publisher: Open Book Publishers
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2021-03-03
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1800640625

This volume provides a comparative analysis of media systems in the Arab world, based on criteria informed by the historical, political, social, and economic factors influencing a country’s media. Reaching beyond classical western media system typologies, Arab Media Systems brings together contributions from experts in the field of media in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to provide valuable insights into the heterogeneity of this region’s media systems. It focuses on trends in government stances towards media, media ownership models, technological innovation, and the role of transnational mobility in shaping media structure and practices. Each chapter in the volume traces a specific country’s media – from Lebanon to Morocco – and assesses its media system in terms of historical roots, political and legal frameworks, media economy and ownership patterns, technology and infrastructure, and social factors (including diversity and equality in gender, age, ethnicities, religions, and languages). This book is a welcome contribution to the field of media studies, constituting the only edited collection in recent years to provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of Arab media systems. As such, it will be of great use to students and scholars in media, journalism and communication studies, as well as political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists with an interest in the MENA region.

Mirage

Mirage
Author: Aileen Keating
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2012-05-25
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1615925384

In this fascinating history of the discovery, development, and exploitation of Middle East oil, an international journalist tells a largely unknown story rich in drama, conflict, and comic interludes. Illustrations.