Kuwait–United States relations

Kuwait – United States relations

Kuwait	United States

Kuwait – United States relations are bilateral relations between Kuwait and the United States. Kuwait is a designated major non-NATO ally of the United States.

As of 2013, there were 5115 international students of Kuwaiti origin studying in the United States, representing .6% of all foreigners pursuing higher education in America.

History

The United States opened a consulate in Kuwait in October 1951, which was elevated to embassy status at the time of Kuwait's independence 10 years later. The United States supports Kuwait's sovereignty, security and independence, as well as its multilateral diplomatic efforts to build greater cooperation among the GCC countries.

Strategic cooperation between the United States and Kuwait increased in 1987 with the implementation of a maritime protection regime that ensured the freedom of navigation through the Persian Gulf for 11 Kuwaiti tankers that were reflagged with U.S. markings.

The U.S.-Kuwaiti strategic partnership intensified dramatically again after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. The United States spearheaded UN Security Council demands that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait and its authorization of the use of force, if necessary, to remove Iraqi forces from the occupied country. The United States subsequently played a dominant role in the development of the multinational military Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm that liberated Kuwait. The U.S.-Kuwaiti relationship remained strong in the post-Gulf War period. Kuwait and the United States worked on a daily basis to monitor and to enforce Iraq's compliance with UN Security Council resolutions.

Since Kuwait's liberation, the United States has provided military and defense technical assistance to Kuwait from both foreign military sales (FMS) and commercial sources. The U.S. Office of Military Cooperation in Kuwait is attached to the American embassy and manages the FMS program. There are currently over 100 open FMS contracts between the U.S. military and the Kuwait Ministry of Defense totaling $8.1 billion. Principal U.S. military systems currently purchased by the Kuwait Defense Forces are Patriot Missile systems, F-18 Hornet fighters, the M1A2 main battle tank, AH-64D Apache helicopter, and a major recapitalization of Kuwait's Navy with U.S. boats.

Kuwaiti attitudes toward American people and products have been favorable since the Gulf War, with 63% of Kuwaitis viewing the U.S. favorably in 2003 – a view more positive than that of close U.S. NATO allies such as Italy, Germany, and France – declining slightly down to 46% in 2007. In 1993, Kuwait publicly announced abandonment of the secondary and tertiary aspects of the Arab boycott of Israel (those aspects affecting U.S. firms). The United States is currently Kuwait's largest supplier of goods and services, and Kuwait is the fifth-largest market in the Middle East. U.S. exports to Kuwait totaled $2.14 billion in 2006. Provided their prices are reasonable, U.S. firms have a competitive advantage in many areas requiring advanced technology, such as oil field equipment and services, electric power generation and distribution equipment, telecommunications gear, consumer goods, and military equipment.

Kuwait also is an important partner in the ongoing U.S.-led campaign against international terrorism, providing assistance in the military, diplomatic, and intelligence arenas and also supporting efforts to block financing of terrorist groups. In January 2005, Kuwait Security Services forces engaged in gun battles with local extremists, resulting in fatalities on both sides in the first such incident in Kuwait's history.

United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah in 2011.

The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait is located in the Bayan area.

For current information and principal U.S. officials working in Embassy Kuwait City, see the State Department's background notes on Kuwait.

See also

• Foreign relations of the United States
• Foreign relations of Kuwait
• Kuwaiti Americans

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State (Background Notes).[1]

External links

• History of Kuwait – U.S. relations

• Kuwait Cultural Office – Washington, DC
• Embassy of U.S.A. – Kuwait City
• State Department Background Notes on Kuwait