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.

Mubarak Al-Sabah

Mubarak Al-Sabah
Author: Souad M. Al-Sabah
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2014-05-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1786725002

Amidst political upheaval and the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the State of Kuwait emerged as an independent country under British protection in 1899, with Sheikh Mubarak Al Sabah widely accredited as the instrument of its foundation. But the path to power for Mubarak was not a simple or smooth one. The author here presents an original perspective on the difficulties and controversies surrounding Mubarak's ascension. With unparalleled insights and access to original sources she reveals the life, personality and politics of a man who, determined to secure a distinctive Kuwaiti state, helped to shape the modern Middle East. This biography provides a comprehensive overview of a time of significant political and social change in the Gulf when development, diplomacy, economics, finance and trade were both routes to political independence and the perpetuation of British domination. Remembered for his unyielding determination to boost the profile and wealth of Kuwait and establish his leadership at a turbulent time of regional war, Mubarak engineered major change for Kuwait. From the negotiations of the 1899 Anglo-Kuwait Agreement, during which Mubarak sought to outfox Lord Curzon and other British officials, to his ambitions to tame tribal politics, the author here presents a unique portrait of the man who transformed Kuwait from an Ottoman sub-province to an independent state.

Mubarak Al-Sabah

Mubarak Al-Sabah
Author: B. Slot
Publisher: Arabian Publishing Limited
Total Pages: 520
Release: 2005
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

Mubarak Al-Sabah took control of his tiny state in 1896, just as the Ottoman Empire seemed on the point of swallowing it up. He then played for time by manipulating the indecision and venality of the Ottoman system. At the same time he managed to kindle a hesitant British interest in Kuwait, doing so by deftly exploiting a rivalry among European powers that was fuelled by speculation over Kuwait's strategic importance as the possible terminus of a railway - conceived as the vital link in rapid communication between Europe and India.

The Reign of Mubarak Al-Sabah

The Reign of Mubarak Al-Sabah
Author: Salwa Al-Ghanem
Publisher: I.B. Tauris
Total Pages: 256
Release: 1998-12-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781860643507

This is a critical history of the reign of Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah, widely regarded as the founder of modern Kuwait. The author discusses the Sheikh's seizure of power and the nature of his involvement in tribal politics.

Kuwait and Al-Sabah

Kuwait and Al-Sabah
Author: Rivka Azoulay
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2020-07-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1838605061

The Emirate of Kuwait hardly resembles the city-State it was at the start of the 20th century. The discovery of oil in 1938 rapidly transformed the tiny tribal sheikhdom of the Al-Sabah into a modern oil-producing state where, by the early 1980s, citizens were enjoying one of the highest standards of living in the world. While much has been written on the reasons why and how the Al-Sabah became a ruling dynasty, little is known about the nature of their authority and its relationship to Kuwait's social structure. Rivka Azoulay shows how despite the rapidity of change in the oil-rich, family-run emirate, it is the pre-oil dynamics of social and political life that dictate how society operates. The author shows that Kuwait's ambitious diversification plans to reduce oil-dependence by 2035 require a renegotiation of the regime's pact with society, which threatens the pre-oil alliances upon which the Al-Sabah's regime has been built.

Kuwait and Al-Sabah

Kuwait and Al-Sabah
Author: Rivka Azoulay
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 454
Release: 2020-07-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 183860507X

The Emirate of Kuwait hardly resembles the city-State it was at the start of the 20th century. The discovery of oil in 1938 rapidly transformed the tiny tribal sheikhdom of the Al-Sabah into a modern oil-producing state where, by the early 1980s, citizens were enjoying one of the highest standards of living in the world. While much has been written on the reasons why and how the Al-Sabah became a ruling dynasty, little is known about the nature of their authority and its relationship to Kuwait's social structure. Rivka Azoulay shows how despite the rapidity of change in the oil-rich, family-run emirate, it is the pre-oil dynamics of social and political life that dictate how society operates. The author shows that Kuwait's ambitious diversification plans to reduce oil-dependence by 2035 require a renegotiation of the regime's pact with society, which threatens the pre-oil alliances upon which the Al-Sabah's regime has been built.

Mubarak Al-Sabah

Mubarak Al-Sabah
Author: Souad M. Al-Sabah
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2014-05-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1786735008

Amidst political upheaval and the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the State of Kuwait emerged as an independent country under British protection in 1899, with Sheikh Mubarak Al Sabah widely accredited as the instrument of its foundation. But the path to power for Mubarak was not a simple or smooth one. The author here presents an original perspective on the difficulties and controversies surrounding Mubarak's ascension. With unparalleled insights and access to original sources she reveals the life, personality and politics of a man who, determined to secure a distinctive Kuwaiti state, helped to shape the modern Middle East. This biography provides a comprehensive overview of a time of significant political and social change in the Gulf when development, diplomacy, economics, finance and trade were both routes to political independence and the perpetuation of British domination. Remembered for his unyielding determination to boost the profile and wealth of Kuwait and establish his leadership at a turbulent time of regional war, Mubarak engineered major change for Kuwait. From the negotiations of the 1899 Anglo-Kuwait Agreement, during which Mubarak sought to outfox Lord Curzon and other British officials, to his ambitions to tame tribal politics, the author here presents a unique portrait of the man who transformed Kuwait from an Ottoman sub-province to an independent state.

The History of Kuwait

The History of Kuwait
Author: Michael S. Casey
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2007-08-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1573567477

The tiny country of Kuwait grabbed the world's attention during the Gulf War, during which its natural petroleum resource became the envy of its neighboring country of Iraq. But Kuwait's history goes back long before any oil was discovered, back to Mesopotamian settlements as early as 3000 BCE. Ideal for high school students as well as general readers, History of Kuwait offers a comprehensive look at how such a small country could, essentially, rule the world with just one natural resource. From sheikhdom to British protectorate to independence to invasion, Kuwait's history is long and rich with culture. Michael S. Casey demonstrates how this Middle Eastern gem has grown throughout the centuries.

Stories of Democracy

Stories of Democracy
Author: Mary Ann Tétreault
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2000
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780231114899

A sophisticated investigation of the shifting tides of democratic governance in modern Kuwait from 1921 to the present based on interviews both with political activists and members of the political elite, Stories of Democracy sheds light on a wide array of issues concerning Middle Eastern politics and democratic institutions in general. Mary Ann Tétreault explores how various political factions have sought to advance their own notions of Kuwaiti history and politics through distinctive popular appeals: (1) pro-democracy forces focusing on Kuwait's relationship to the universal values of the democratic world around them, and (2) anti-democrats proffering Arab and Muslim religious and cultural traditions. She explores how such dramatic events as the suspension of the Kuwaiti constitution in 1986 and the invasion by Iraq in 1990 occasioned major shifts in the course of the democracy movement. The current running through virtually all of the nation's political drama is the monolithic Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), used by the government as an instrument of economic strength to safeguard sovereignty in the absence of military might.

Kuwait 1975/76 - 2019

Kuwait 1975/76 - 2019
Author: Anthony Axon
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2019-12-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9004423818

The third in a new series, the Contemporary Archive of the Islamic World (CAIW), this title draws on the resources of Cambridge-based World of Information, which since 1975 has followed the politics and economics of the region. Kuwait’s documented history begins in the mid-19th Century. Its location established it as an important entrepôt at the head of the Arabian Gulf. Notionally under Ottoman rule, it became a de facto protectorate of Great Britain. The discovery of oil changed Kuwait beyond recognition. It gained full independence in 1971 and was long considered the most developed state in the Gulf. Coveted by Iraq, it was invaded in 1990. It also played a part in the2003 invasion of Iraq.