ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the George Herbert Walker Bush administration demanded political reforms as a condition of liberating Kuwait in 1991, under Clinton and George Walker Bush emphasis was placed on maintaining Kuwait's stability over the near-term, in the face of regional tensions. First the chapter accounts for the development of the US-Kuwaiti relationship, focusing on the G.H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations approaches to Kuwait in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, and their respective stances towards political reform. It then addresses the G. W. Bush administration's policy to Kuwait, amidst the invasion and occupation of neighbouring Iraq. Bush administration's actions in Kuwait can therefore be seen as an early example of democracy promotion in the Middle East. In Kuwait, under both Clinton and G. W. Bush, the US placed a much less prominent emphasis on democracy promotion. Finally, the chapter offers an evaluation of the strategy of democracy promotion in Kuwait.
