Archaeological finds on Failaka, the largest
of Kuwait's nine islands, suggest that Failaka was a trading
post at the time of the ancient Sumerians. Failaka appears to
have continued to serve as a market for approximately 2,000
years, and was known to the ancient Greeks. Despite its long
history as a market and sanctuary for traders, Failaka appears
to have been abandoned as a permanent settlement in the 1st
century A.D. Kuwait's modern history began in the 18th century
with the founding of the city of Kuwait by the Uteiba, a
subsection of the Anaiza tribe, who are believed to have
traveled north from Qatar.
Threatened in the 19th century by the Ottoman Turks and various
powerful Arabian Peninsula groups, Kuwait sought the same treaty
relationship Britain had already signed with the Trucial States
(UAE) and Bahrain. In January 1899, the ruler Sheikh Mubarak Al
Sabah--"the Great"--signed an agreement with the British
Government that pledged himself and his successors neither to
cede any territory, nor to receive agents or representatives of
any foreign power without the British Government's consent, in
exchange for protection and an annual subsidy. When Mubarak died
in 1915, the population of Kuwait of about 35,000 was heavily
dependent on shipbuilding (using wood imported from India) and
pearl diving.
Mubarak was succeeded as ruler by his sons Jabir (1915-17) and
Salim (1917-21). Kuwait's subsequent rulers have descended from
these two brothers. Sheikh Ahmed al-Jabir Al Sabah ruled Kuwait
from 1921 until his death in 1950, a period in which oil was
discovered and in which the government attempted to establish
the first internationally recognized boundaries; the 1922 Treaty
of Uqair set Kuwait's border with Saudi Arabia and also
established the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone, an area of
about 5,180 sq. km. (2,000 sq. mi.) adjoining Kuwait's southern
border.
Kuwait achieved independence from the British under Sheikh
Ahmed's successor, Sheikh Abdullah al-Salim Al Sabah. By early
1961, the British had already withdrawn their special court
system, which handled the cases of foreigners resident in
Kuwait, and the Kuwaiti Government began to exercise legal
jurisdiction under new laws drawn up by an Egyptian jurist. On
June 19, 1961, Kuwait became fully independent following an
exchange of notes with the United Kingdom.
Kuwait enjoyed an unprecedented period of prosperity under Amir
Sabah al-Salim Al Sabah, who died in 1977 after ruling for 12
years. Under his rule, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia signed an
agreement dividing the Neutral Zone (now called the Divided
Zone) and demarcating a new international boundary. Both
countries share equally the Divided Zone's petroleum, onshore
and offshore. The country was transformed into a highly
developed welfare state with a free market economy.
In August 1990, Iraq attacked and invaded Kuwait. Kuwait's
northern border with Iraq dates from an agreement reached with
Turkey in 1913. Iraq accepted this claim in 1932 upon its
independence from Turkey. However, following Kuwait's
independence in 1961, Iraq claimed Kuwait, arguing that Kuwait
had been part of the Ottoman Empire subject to Iraqi suzerainty.
In 1963, Iraq reaffirmed its acceptance of Kuwaiti sovereignty
and the boundary it agreed to in 1913 and 1932, in the "Agreed
Minutes between the State of Kuwait and the Republic of Iraq
Regarding the Restoration of Friendly Relations, Recognition,
and Related Matters."
Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a UN-mandated
coalition led by the United States began a ground assault in
February 1991 that liberated Kuwait. During the 7-month
occupation by Iraq, the Amir, the Government of Kuwait, and many
Kuwaitis took refuge in Saudi Arabia and other nations. The Amir
and the government successfully managed Kuwaiti affairs from
Saudi Arabia, London, and elsewhere during the period, relying
on substantial Kuwaiti investments available outside Kuwait for
funding and war-related expenses.
Following liberation, the UN, under Security Council Resolution
687, demarcated the Iraq-Kuwait boundary on the basis of the
1932 and the 1963 agreements between the two states. In November
1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with
Kuwait, which had been further spelled out in UN Security
Council Resolutions 773 and 883. |
