Kuwait

<p>Kuwait unlike most of its neighbours has a well-established national identity and a long history as a nation dating back to the eighteenth century. In this book first published in 1992 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 skilfully weaves these themes into a broad profile of Kuwait analysing 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 labour; 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 the Middle East.</p>