Kuwait, unlike most of its neighbors, has a well-established national identity and a long history as a nation, dating back to the eighteenth century. In this book, Dr. Jill Crystal focuses on two recurring themes in Kuwaiti history: one, the preservation of a sense of community in the face of radical economic, social, and political transformations; the second, internal rivalry over the conventions governing relations among members of the community. Crystal skillfully weaves these themes into a broad profile of Kuwait, analyzing the nation's transformation from a pre-oil to an oil economy; its social structure and composition, including the country's tribal roots and key divisions involving class, gender, and immigrant labor; political tensions resulting from the nation's sudden wealth and the accompanying changes in social structure; and its relations with other countries in the Gulf and Middle East. In particular, she places Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in the context of Kuwait's historical foreign policy and examines the invasion's legacy, arguing that it reinforced Kuwaiti nationalism while renewing public demand for greater political participation.

1. Introduction. Ecology and Economy. Society. Polity. Foreign Policy -- 2. History. National Formation: The Establishment of a Kuwaiti Community. State Formation: The Establishment of Kuwaiti Institutions. Independence: The Establishment of Kuwait as a State -- 3. The Oil Economy. The Desert and the Sea: The Pre-Oil Economy. Multinationals and the State: The History of Oil. Development Strategies: The Economic Role of the State. Retrenchment Strategies: The Economy in a Period of Falling Prices. The Benefits and the Costs of Oil -- 4. Kuwaiti Society. Unity. Division -- 5. Political Institutions and Processes. Formal Structures. Shaikh Jabir's Rule: Problems and Prospects -- 6. Foreign Policy. The Historical Patterns of Kuwait's Foreign Policy. Kuwait and the Superpowers. Kuwait and the Region. The Invasion. The New Foreign Policy Environment -- 7. The Aftermath of the Invasion. The Occupation. Liberation and Reconstruction. Future Prospects.