The History of U.S.-Kuwait
Relations
State of Kuwait
• June 19, 1961 Kuwait gained full
independence from Britain
• January 23, 1962 First elections to the
National Assembly
• November 11, 1962 Kuwait’s Constitution was
put into effect
• 1963 Kuwait became the 111th member of
the United Nations
The beginnings of the U.S.-Kuwait
relationship
• The relationship between the two countries really
began in the early 20th century, when Sheikh Mubarak
Al-Sabah, invited the Reformed Church of America to
open a medical center in Kuwait. The hospital was
opened in 1911 and is known to Kuwaitis as the
American Hospital.
• Oil relations began in the 1930s, when Kuwait Oil
Company was formed as a joint venture between the
British Anglo-Persian Oil company and the American
Gulf Oil company.
• In October 1951 the U.S. opened a consulate in Kuwait
which was elevated to embassy status when the
country received its independence in 1961.
The Gulf War
• August 2, 1990 Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait
threatening the country’s sovereignty and existence.
• Iraq claimed that Kuwait was harming its country
economically by refusing to reduce its oil production and it
tried to annex Kuwait by claiming that the country had
historically been part of Iraq.
• The U.S. led an international coalition of 30 states to
reverse the occupation.
• The Iraqis were forcibly ejected on February 26, 1991 at the
conclusion of Operation Desert Storm (headed by the U.S.).
• November 1994 Iraq formally accepted Kuwaiti sovereignty
along with a UN-demarcated border.
The Post-Gulf War relationship
• The post-Gulf War relationship has remained
strong between the two countries.
• Kuwait and the U.S. worked together to monitor
and enforce Iraq’s compliance with UN Security
Council resolutions.
• Kuwait provided the main platform for Operation
Iraqi Freedom in 2003, it reserved 60% of its total
land mass for use by coalition forces and donated
more than $350 million in assistance in kind
(primarily fuel).
The U.S.-Kuwait relationship today
• The U.S.-Kuwaiti relationship has remained strong during
the post-Gulf War period. Kuwait and the United States
were committed to enforcing Iraq’s compliance with UN
Security Council resolutions and Kuwait provided the
main platform for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
• Since Kuwait’s liberation in 1991, the U.S. has provided
military and defense technical assistance to Kuwait from
foreign military sales (FMS) and commercial sources. The
U.S. Office of Military Cooperation in Kuwait is attached
to the U.S. embassy and manages the FMS.
• U.S. military systems currently purchased by Kuwait ‘s
Defense Forces are F-18 Hornet fighter jets, Patriot
Missile systems and the Apache helicopter.
The U.S.-Kuwait Relationship Today
(continued)
• Kuwait attitudes toward American products are
favorable. Kuwait is the fifth-largest market in the
Middle East, and the U.S. is Kuwait’s largest supplier of
goods and services.
• Kuwait is a vital partner in the U.S.-led campaign
against international terrorism.
• On April 1, 2004, the Bush Administration designated
Kuwait as a “major non-NATO ally.”
• The Kuwaiti government sponsors foreign study for
qualified students abroad for degrees not offered at
Kuwait University. In 2004, about 1,720 Kuwaitis were
enrolled in U.S. universities.
The History of the
Kuwait-America Foundation
The Establishment of KAF
• Established as a non-profit organization on May
18, 1991 in Washington, D.C.
• Founding Directors: Dr. Hassan Al-Ebraheem,
Messrs. Daniel Q. Callister and Fawzi Al-Sultan.
• Founded after the Gulf War to express Kuwait’s
gratitude for American sacrifice during the war.
• Its mission is to support cultural and
philanthropic projects that express goodwill and
help strengthen ties between the people of the
two countries.
Early KAF Programs
• KAF’s early efforts directly reached out to those affected by the Gulf War.
Along with the Kuwait Association to Defend War Victims, KAF created a
delegation of fifteen Kuwait associations representing various professions,
who could speak about the suffering of their compatriots.
• KAF donated the use of its Washington office for a breakfast sponsored by
the Desert Storm Surviving Dependents Fund to help in their efforts to
raise one million dollars.
• In 1992, Dr. Al-Ebraheem and Ms. Pam Hall, an American expatriate living
in Kuwait, created the Desert Peace Program “to bring to Kuwait families
of Americans who had lost their lives in the effort to liberate Kuwait.”
• In the spring of 1994, after an invitation by Dr. Al-Ebraheem and Mr.
Callister, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf visited Kuwait as a guest of the
government.
• KAF commissioned Eng. Walid Al-Awadi to produce and direct a
documentary on a true story that occurred during the Gulf War. The
docudrama titled “A Moment in Time” won the 28th TV and Movie Award
Festival held in Texas in 1995.
KAF Programs - Making the connection
• Dr. Al-Ebraheem began to locate American trauma centers
that specialized in treating afflicted children after the Gulf
War. While researching for these centers for post-war
Kuwait, he discovered that child trauma is often rooted in
violence suffered within dysfunctional family life, drugs,
peer pressure, and gangs.
• Although the source of trauma differed in the American and
Kuwaiti situations, both were rooted in abuse and violence.
• Recognizing this connection, KAF began to develop different
programs addressing the issue.
• Dr. Al-Ebraheem believes that “just as Americans assisted
Kuwaitis to free their country from violence, KAF wishes to
help Americans seek solutions to a problem of national
importance.”
KAF Programs – Student Involvement
• In 1994 KAF forms a pilot project involving 7th and 8th grade
students (who are seen in a critical transition period from
elementary to secondary education).
• The youth were to write, in no less than 500 words, answering the
question “What can I do about the violence I see or experience in
my life?” Nineteen schools submitted writings, with over 850
students participating.
• Due to the projects overwhelming success, the National Campaign
to Stop Violence (NCSV) was formed in 1996, and the “Do the Write
Thing” Challenge Program was expanded onto a national level.
• The NCSV has partnered with the Urban League in an effort to build
upon the success of DtWT. The students who have participated in
the Challenge are given the opportunity to work with an
organization in the Washington, D.C. community. The internship
program became the second recipient of the Ron Brown
International Community Service Award in 1998.
The success of KAF programs
• Since 1996, over 600,000 students have participated in
NCSV classroom discussions, and over 250,000 have
chosen to accept the “Challenge” by pledging not to
engage in violent acts and by submitting writings on
the causes of and solutions for youth violence to their
local DtWT Committee.
• Over 600 National Finalists and their parents and
teachers have been honored at national recognition
ceremonies in Washington, D.C., and had their writings
published and distributed to national policy-makers.
The writings of these students have also been placed in
the Library of Congress.