Kuwait

●3 Country Background

History

In medieval times, Kuwait was under the nominal rule of the Ottoman Empire. In practice, the Kuwaitis have always maintained autonomy by playing one ruler against another. During that era, they usually pitted the Ottomans against the Persians (modern Iran).

In the sixteenth century, the Portuguese established forts to protect their shipping trade routes. Two centuries later, the British supplanted the Portuguese as the dominant European power in the Gulf. Again the Kuwaitis sought alliances, and they decided that they would have the most freedom under the British flag. The first treaties between Britain and Kuwait were signed in 1899.

Despite its ancient history, Kuwait has been recognized as a fully independent nation only since 1961, when British rule ended.

Kuwait’s massive oil reserves were not discovered until the 1930s, and development of the oilfields was delayed by World War II. Only in the 1950s did oil wealth remake Kuwait. The wealth transformed Kuwait’s economy without making any basic changes in the political structure.

Following Kuwait’s independence in 1961, Iraq made territorial claims on the country. Threatened intervention by Britain kept the Iraqis from invading in the 1960s. By 1990, Britain was no longer the dominant military power in the Gulf, and Saddam Hussein convinced himself that the United States would not intervene militarily. Iraq invaded and then annexed Kuwait in 1990. The emir and his cabinet fled to Saudi Arabia.

After Iraq refused to obey a UN resolution to withdraw, a coalition of many nations, led by the United States, invaded in January of 1991. The shooting war was over within a

Kuwait

Kuwait

month, as Iraqi forces quickly retreat from Kuwait. However, before leaving, the Iraqis set many Kuwaiti oil wells on fire. The emir returned in March of 1991; under international and domestic pressure, he allowed the National Assembly to be restored.

Kuwait and Iraq finally moved toward normalizing relations in 2002. But the following year, the Second Gulf War broke out. Coalition forces—this time primarily belonging to the United States and the United Kingdom—invaded and occupied Iraq. Saddam Hussein was captured, ending the military threat to Kuwait.

Type of Government

The emir now rules Kuwait as a constitutional monarchy. Traditionally, the emir of Kuwait— always a member of the al-Sabah family—exercised total authority. However, the emir was always careful to allow the powerful Kuwaiti merchant families to prosper. In effect, the merchants yielded their political power in return for economic power.

By and large, the al-Sabah emirs ruled adroitly. They managed to maintain Kuwait’s identity despite being surrounded by powerful neighbors. Oil wealth brought changes. Health and educational services were transformed, and the populace (now educated and familiar with Western political ideas) agitated for a voice in government. By 1962 a constitution had been written for Kuwait, establishing a National Assembly patterned after an assembly that had evolved back in the 1930s. Despite being an essentially conservative body, this modern assembly did not support the emir on all issues. Friction between the assembly and the emir increased until, in 1976, the assembly was dissolved and the constitution was suspended. The assembly remained suspended at the time of Iraq’s 1990 invasion, although an advisory body, the National Council, was in existence. While in exile, the emir promised that the assembly would be reconvened. After the war, a new National Assembly was elected, and in 2006 a new emir took office: Sabah al-Sabah.

A proposal by the former emir to allow women to vote and hold public office was passed in the National Assembly in 2005. (See the Cultural Note at the end of the chapter for information on Kuwait’s first female Cabinet Minister.) The emir is both head of state and head of government. There is an appointed prime minister and an independent judiciary.

Current government data can be found at the Embassy of Kuwait’s Web site at www

.kuwait-info.org.

Language

Arabic is the national language, but English is widely spoken among the business classes. For data on the languages of Kuwait, visit Ethnologue at www.ethnologue.com.

The Kuwaiti View

Kuwait is an Islamic country. The majority—including the Kuwaitis in positions of power— are Sunni Muslims. Friction sometimes exists between the Sunnis and the Shiite minority (about 20 percent), which escalated into terrorist violence in the 1980s. Kuwait’s version of Sunni Islam is quite conservative and is influenced by the fundamentalist Wahabism of Saudi Arabia.

Women are gaining more rights since the passage of the law in 2005 that allows them to vote and run for public office. Additionally, they are not forced to wear traditional clothing. Indeed, despite their status, women make up more than 10 percent of the Kuwaiti work force (particularly since the Persian Gulf War).

Only a small portion of Kuwait’s population are fully enfranchised citizens. There are over 100,000 Bidun (disenfranchised) Kuwaitis, who are classified as “long-term noncitizens.” They do not get the stipends or educational and health benefits given to citizens.

Kuwait is still dealing with the trauma of the 1990–1991 Iraqi occupation. In addition to the destruction, oppression, and torture inflicted on the Kuwaitis by the Iraqis, there are other ramifications. Kuwaitis accused of collaborating with the Iraqis have been dealt with. Since PLO leader Yasir Arafat publicly supported Saddam Hussein, the thousands of Palestinians who worked in Kuwait were deported after the country was liberated. They were replaced by workers from different parts of the world, mostly from Bangladesh. (Among other duties, Bengali workers were given the unenviable task of removing the thousands of land mines left by the Iraqis.) Kuwaiti women also filled some of the vacancies left by the Palestinians.

There are also thousands of refugees from Iraq in Kuwait.

The presence of thousands of soldiers from many countries on Kuwaiti soil has been troublesome; their existence was considered a regretful necessity to the security of Kuwait.

*Know Before You Go

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The greatest hazard to visitors to Kuwait involves vehicular accidents.

As a strict Islamic country, Kuwait prohibits the importation of alcohol, pork products, or pornography. Persons found in possession of these may be dealt with harshly.

The effects of the huge oil well fires set by the retreating Iraqi occupiers in 1991 are debated, but they certainly caused severe air pollution.

Iraqis also planted millions of antipersonnel mines throughout the country. At this point, contractors have removed some 1.5 million land mines. However, many more remain, and travelers should be cautious when venturing off heavily trafficked areas.

Kuwait

Kuwait

●3 Cultural Orientation

Cognitive Styles: How Kuwaitis Organize and Process Information

Kuwaitis’ minds are generally closed to most information that does not reflect Islamic values. Most university education is in North America or Europe, which brings with it a degree of abstractive thinking. However, Kuwaitis are taught from youth to think associatively. They generally approach problems subjectively according to the tenets of Islamic law.

Negotiation Strategies: What Kuwaitis Accept as Evidence

Truth is found in Islamic law, so faith in its ideologies permeates all discussions. Subjective feelings are the predominant way of discerning the truth in any situation.

Value Systems: The Basis for Behavior

Islam is the state religion and the main source of legislation. All behavior is judged by Islamic principles. The following three sections identify the Value Systems in the predominant culture—their methods of dividing right from wrong, good from evil, and so forth.

Locus of Decision-Making

The male leader is the locus of decision-making, but he respects the consensus of the group or collective. The individual is always subordinate to the family, tribe, or collective. Solutions to problems primarily lie in the correct interpretation and application of divine law. Leadership and identity come from a person’s lineage and his or her ability to protect the honor of the extended family.

Sources of Anxiety Reduction

Security is found in family loyalty and absolute submission to Islamic law. Tribal loyalty will influence hiring and employment even among foreign companies. Loyalty to the ruling clan, not nationality, brings a feeling of national security. Tribal membership remains the cornerstone of the individual’s social identity.

Issues of Equality/Inequality

Within Islam, all believers are equal and united in the ulema. However, some tribes feel superior to others. Traditional respect for literacy and aversion to manual labor has created a need for large numbers of foreign workers, with varying degrees of acceptance. Men and women are often considered to be qualitatively different in emotion and intellect.

Historically, public life had been the exclusive domain of men. However, in 2005, women were given far more freedom through the passage of a law that granted them the right to vote and to hold elective office.

Business Entertaining

●Hosting visitors is considered a virtue among Kuwaitis, so they will take care of all of the entertaining within their country.

●Be prepared to remove your shoes before entering a building. Follow the lead of your host.

●Remember that alcohol and pork are proscribed for orthodox Muslims, and that eating is done with the right hand only. Even if you are left-handed, eat with your right hand.

●Expect to encounter eating utensils only in the most westernized of Kuwaiti homes.

●Do not bring up the subject of women unless your Kuwaiti counterpart does so first. Do not even inquire about the health of a Kuwaiti’s wife or daughter.

●The topic of Israel should similarly be avoided.

●Sports are a good topic of conversation. Soccer (football), horse and camel racing (with betting prohibited), hunting, and falconry are the most popular Kuwaiti sports.

●Truffles are also a good topic of conversation. The truffles that grow in the Kuwaiti desert are often larger and milder than those that grow in Europe.

Cultural Note

Kuwaitis have a reputation for being generous, affable hosts. Once you have established a relationship with them, they will feel free to stop by your office without an appointment. You are expected to do the same to them, even though this concept is very alien to Western executives. Even if the time you stop by is very inconvenient, they will put on a smile and greet you in an unhurried fashion.

Kuwait