ABSTRACT
As the scope of Kuwait’s external interests and involvements has widened and become multifaceted, so have the goals that serve as a driving force for its foreign policy. The Persian occupation of Basra opened up the first opportunity for an official Kuwaiti-British linkage, as British trade and desert overland mail from India, the Mediterranean, and Europe were diverted to Kuwait. In Iran, Kuwait’s interests were primarily directed toward the southern provinces, which were either under British rule or under the control of shaikh Khazal of Muhammerah. The state’s sudden change from “rags to riches” enticed the Kuwaitis to assume a new missionary role: to spread and share their wealth with less fortunate people. Two major developments shaped Kuwait’s foreign policy from its origins up to 1961: the 1899 Kuwaiti-British protective treaty, and the 1950s oil bonanza, which transformed Kuwait from a mini-state “principality” into a city-state.
