Introduction
United States shared a long cooperation and friendship history with Kuwait which are rooted on the two countries democratic traditions, shared values and institutions. [1]Prior to Kuwait gaining independence, it had already established a diplomatic relationship with Kuwait. Kuwait has been fundamental in the United States efforts in provision of security to the Persian Gulf region because of the country’s strategic location, close cooperation with United States and objection of the Past Iraq aggression. Even before Kuwait had attained its independence in 1962, it had already established a formal defense cooperation agreement which ensured that United States maintained prepositioned military equipment and military forces in Kuwait. The military forces of United States enabled it to project power in Kuwait and combat resistant that was being caused by the Islamic State. The work shall demonstrate the role of United States in Kuwait independence in 1962.
The role of United States in Kuwait independence in 1962
According to the research “A Struggle for Supremacy: Great Britain, the United States and Kuwaiti Oil in the 1930s,” British government had promised to control the Kuwait economic resources such as oil for the sake of its interest and would continue to resist any external force that would hinder it from achieving its objectives. [2]Nevertheless, the United States suggested that by Britain gaining control of the Persian Gulf it was infringing and assaulting the fundamental interests of United States following it long cooperation history with Kuwait. Given the fact that United States were interested with strengthening its relationship with the Persian Gulf region and more specific Kuwait, it confessed to repel the assaults which were being committed to Kuwait using the available means such as the use of the military force. The United States desire to strengthen its relationship with Kuwait necessitates it to use the power upon it to force the Great Britain to transfer its supremacy to United States.
The transfer of Britain supremacy in Kuwait to United States is believed to occur between 1920 and 1930. During this period, the oil concessions were being granted to the Persian Gulf region and more specifically in Kuwait because of its potential to produce huge amount of oil which would become the source of the government revenue and economic activity in the future. Therefore, there is a strong ground to believe that by United States taking Great Britain supremacy of controlling Persian Gulf and Kuwait in Particular would guarantee it economic development and political centrality in Kuwait. [3]Hence, during the Inter-war period, the American Oil Companies managed to win a sufficient share of the oil reserves in Kuwait despite the facing severe opposition and resistance from the British Government. By 1934, the Standard Oil Company which was an American company held half of the share of the Kuwait Oil Company. In addition, the other United States oil Companies represented the multinational Iraq Petroleum Company which used to control the Qatar and Iraq oil mining.
With the consensus between United States and Kuwait for United States to continue controlling both political and economic affairs of Kuwait, the United States realized that it had the ability to involve itself on other influences in the country. Upon the new cooperation and relationship between United States and Kuwait, the American oil miners and workers were allowed to enter Kuwait under the leadership of the United States government representatives. Due to the benefits United States would accrue by forming a strong relationship with Kuwait, it was ready to prepared to use any political pressure to support the American companies which were seeking to be integrated in the Persian Gulf region more so in Kuwait.[4] The United States requested the Kuwait Government to make the American oil companies part of the concessions policy between the two governments. Two years later when United States was prepared to celebrate the Treaty of friendship with Kuwait, the British refused to renegotiate the treaty’s terms and conditions because it believed that by doing so, it would be protecting the American oil companies’ interests. Despite the British resistance to re-negotiate the peace treaty it had signed with United States, both the state department interests in politics and American oil in the Kuwait region increased.
The British government resisted United States economic acquisition in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf region because it already knew that the political involvement in the country territory would follow. The suspicion later followed in the future years prior to Kuwait gaining its independence in 1962. [5]After the Second World War, the American government decided to extend the lend lease to Kuwait government in terms of agricultural improvements, financial assistance and economic development in general. Therefore, it was clear that the United States government determination to fight for a larger share of the oil companies in Kuwait necessitates it to persistently fight for economic and political involvement in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf region. The complex negotiation between Great Britain and United states in 1930 signaled the end of the Britain political and economic involvement in the Persian Gulf region to be more specific on Kuwait despite the fact that the full British military withdrawal in the region occurred in 1971. The naval, diplomatic, economic , political and supremacy battle gains by United States during the First World War at the expense of the Britain in Kuwait were believed to be irreversible in the future because they enabled Kuwait to gain its independence later in 1962.
Although the Great Britain imperial power and fundamental role in balancing the European power, United States failed to recognize its military strength and used its economic power and strategy to ensure that it captured and formed a strong relationship with Kuwait. Previously, both Great Britain and America recognized that the struggle for supremacy existed between them and Great Britain was not ready to resist the challenge that was being posed by America. Despite the fact that the United States managed to Capture and influence Kuwait to offer its oil companies a larger share in the economy, the Great Britain continued to retain Navy powers, its role in the European balance of power and its global strategic dominance. Nonetheless, in the attempt of both countries to gain more powers for controlling Kuwait they suffered internationally and financially.[6] As a result of United States economic confusion in the First World War, it had failed to influence Kuwait to be on its side to for strong economic ties. It was until in the Second World War II that United States managed to launch a successful economic challenge against the Great Britain. Given the fact that the Great Britain economic muscles were weaker than those of the United States it was necessitated to pass its supremacy in the Persian Gulf region and to be specific in Kuwait.
The transfer of the supremacy powers from the Great Britain to United States resulted to the Kuwait Oil Company being set up as an Anglo-American consortium. Given the fact that the American oil interest succeeded in Kuwait in the face of the irrefutable legal rights which were being held by the British Government as protecting and mandatory powers, United States managed to settle the debts which were being held by Kuwait. The United States promised Kuwait that the economic rights it was trying to attain would not be reflected in the political gains in the future between the two countries. [7]Nevertheless, the substantial oil interests’ acquisition by United States from the British government marked the start point for the American involvement in the defense and political affairs of Kuwait. Despite the fact that the British interest to the Persian Gulf would be dated back to the early 19th Century, they were mainly based on the maritime. The British government believed that there should be no navel threat by the Gulf pirates around the Indian Ocean. In order for the British Government to succeed in its maritime interest it established permanent maritime naval. Nevertheless, the need to control the means of communications such as the sea and the land occurred.
The American oil companies were the most feared and powerful multinational companies in Persian Gulf with a long political influence history. [8]The American companies were believed to deal with the Kuwait rulers directly in order to gain their oil share in the market. Although the Kuwait rulers had agreed not to grant the oil concessions to any country or government without the agreement of the British Government which reserved the all the rights, the United States decided to use the economic strategy to initiate the changes and oil ownership in Kuwait. As a result, Kuwait rulers came to realize that despite the fact that Britain was a super power it could not manage to control United States economic supremacy. By the rulers realizing that they had the powers to control and decide for their economic and political direction for their country, they agreed to welcome the United States into their territory for economic development and for it to enhance Kuwait’s independence.
The negotiations saga among the United States, Kuwait and the Great Britain was believed to be technical, tedious and complex. Unlike the other states in the Persian Gulf region, Kuwait had comparative stable government and clear boundaries. Nevertheless, the formation of oil company consensus was made difficult by the fact that: the British government had already agreed with Kuwait not to form another agreement with another government and long economic disputes in the country. The United Oil Company pressure in Kuwait forced the Great Britain Government to do away with the oil war as well as Persian Gulf rights preservations. The process enlighten the Kuwait people as they managed to release that they had the powers for their resources and that they could terminate the previous agreements and treaties they had formed with the Great Britain Government. [9]Kuwait understood that there was need for it to make a sacrifice in order for it to be in position to gain friendship with the Americans. Moreover, given the deteriorating international relations, Kuwait realized that there was the need for it to work together and cooperate with United States in order to overcome the aftermath of both World War I and II. Previously, Kuwait Government thought that it would manage to protect its oil field through the British government because it would manage to minimize foreign penetration in the control.
The America government and Oil Companies’ penetration into the Persian Gulf and Kuwait in particular revealed that the total exclusivity principle which had already been established by the British government was possible to be breached. In addition, the move demonstrated that America capital in Kuwait would be useful for peace making and stability as it would create a reconciliation attitude between United States, Kuwait and the British Government an aspect that was important for the world. The Kuwait government further realized that with the entrance of the American government and oil companies in the Persian Gulf, it was possible to accept change and transform as a whole. Unlike the Americans, the British Government wanted to United States exploit the opportunities in Kuwait and the region without being responsible. The entrance of in the Kuwait territory and the Persian Gulf region expressed hope that if the past concessions with the British government had been terminated, the region would definitely become independent country. [10]After both the rulers and the government of Kuwait had realized that America government was not only interested on economic activities in the region and Kuwait to be specific, they welcomed it in their economic and political affairs. As a result, within a short period of time Kuwait had allowed the United States to coordinate its economic and political affairs; progress, international cooperation and stability transpired in the region.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the British Government had tried to form strong agreement and concessions with the Persian Gulf region and in particular Kuwait to prevent the external forces such as United States from intervening with its affairs, United States economic strength enabled it to snatch British government its supremacy powers. United States took the British Government supremacy powers by ensuring that its oil companies had the largest share of Kuwait oil and the Persian Gulf region. As a result of the Kuwait acceptance of United States participation in its economic, social and political affairs it managed to gain its independence in 1962.
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