Shaikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, 1895-1965 submitted by Abdullah Ahmad Alnajdi to the University of Exeter Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Arab and Islamic Studies July 2014 This thesis is available for library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. (Signature)………………………………………………. ABSTRACT This is the first monograph-length academic study of Shaikh Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah, Ruler of Kuwait between 1950 and 1965. It is based on British and US government records, interviews, and a wide range of secondary sources in Arabic and English. It traces the development of modern Kuwait from the mid-eighteenth century under the al-Sabah up to the accession of Shaikh Abdullah in 1950. It considers the succession question in Kuwait before 1950, and Abdullah’s lengthy period as a candidate for succession, which enabled him to develop and expand his ideas for his country before becoming ruler. The study also examines the way that Abdullah transformed Kuwait into the first rentier state in Eastern Arabia and analyses his impact on the development of Kuwait’s administrative system. The influence of Arab nationalism and Britain on his decision-making and his relationship with Arab nationalists and the British Government, as well as his subtle handling of Kuwait’s border dispute with Iraq, are also investigated in detail. This study focuses on the six major challenges that Abdullah overcame in order to transform Kuwait into a rentier state: (1) his political victories and defeats prior to his reign that shaped his political ideas, (2) his twenty-nine-year struggle to become ruler of Kuwait, (3) how he changed the direction of Kuwait’s development process by moving away from the politics of his predecessors, (4) his troubled relationship with the al-Sabah in Kuwait’s government administration, (5) how he dealt with the pressure exerted by Arab nationalists and the British Government on his political decisions, and (6) how he handled Kuwait’s troubled relationship with Iraq. 1 This thesis argues that Shaikh Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah was an exceptional leader not only among the rulers of Kuwait (1752 to present), but also among the rulers of the Gulf Arab states in general. He was the first ruler to introduce a rentier state system that provided extensive welfare services for all of his country’s citizens, securing his family’s position in government in the process. He led Kuwait to independence in 1961 and oversaw the drafting of its constitution in 1962. He was a skilled politician and diplomat, who negotiated a delicate balance between the competing interests of the Kuwaitis, the ruling family (the al-Sabah), the Arab nationalists, the British Government, and the Iraqi government. As a result, he has enjoyed a popularity within Kuwait second only to the founder of modern Kuwait, Shaikh Mubarak al-Sabah (r.1896-1915). 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 1 Table of contents 3 Figures 6 Acknowledgments 7 Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Introduction 8 1.2 Theoretical Framework: Rentier State Theory 16 1.3 Methodology 20 1.4 Literature Review 23 Chapter Two: Abdullah’s Early Life and Political Influences, 1895-1950 2.1 Introduction 34 2.2 Abdullah’s Genealogy 35 2.3 The Assassination of 1896 36 2.4 Abdullah’s Upbringing 39 2.5 Abdullah’s Education 42 2.6 Abdullah’s Financial Status 47 2.7 Abdullah’s Financial Struggle with Ahmad al-Jabir, 1921-23 49 2.8 Abdullah’s Withdrawal from Political Life, 1923-35 57 2.8.1 Abdullah in Kuwait 57 2.8.2 Abdullah Abroad 59 2.9 Abdullah’s Re-Engagement into Kuwait Politics in 1935 62 2.10 Abdullah and the Legislative Council of 1938-39 and Thereafter 69 2.11 Conclusion 78 3 Chapter Three: Abdullah and the Succession Question, 1917-50 3.1 Introduction 81 3.2 Al-Sabah’s Legitimacy to Rule 81 3.3 Succession in Kuwait before 1921 90 3.4 Criteria for Succession 98 3.5 Abdullah’s Preparation for Succession, 1917-21 102 3.6 Abdullah’s Opportunity for Succession in 1921 106 3.7 Abdullah’s Position for Succession during the 1930s and 1940s 112 3.8 Abdullah’s Accession in 1950 116 3.9 Conclusion 118 Chapter Four: Abdullah and the Welfare State, 1950-65 4.1 Introduction 121 4.2 Abdullah’s Thoughts on a Welfare State in Kuwait 122 4.3 Kuwait’s Development in the 1940s 128 4.4 Abdullah Overcomes Obstacles for Development 131 4.5 Abdullah and the Welfare State 137 4.6 Approaches to the Welfare, Rentier State 154 4.6.1 Kuwait’s Acquisition of Land 155 4.6.2 Kuwait’s Education 156 4.6.3 Kuwait’s Healthcare 158 4.6.4 Kuwait’s Social Security and Employment 160 4.7 Conclusion 164 Chapter Five: Abdullah, the Ruling Family, and Britain’s Role in Kuwait, 1950-65 5.1 Introduction 168 5.2 The Ruling Family’s Authority before 1940s 169 5.3 Abdullah and the Ruling Family’s Authority in the 1940s 175 5.4 The British Threat to the Ruling Family’s Authority in Kuwait, 1944-54 183 5.4.1 British Intervention in Kuwait’s Internal Affairs, 1944-50 185 5.4.2 British Intervention in Kuwait’s Internal Affairs, 1950-54 187 5.4.3 Competing Authorities: Britain versus Abdullah and the Ruling Family 195 4 5.5 The Ruling Family and Kuwaiti Demands for Reform, 1954-62 202 5.6 Conclusion 216 Chapter Six: Abdullah, Arab Nationalists, and Britain’s Role 6.1 Introduction 218 6.2 The Background of Arab Nationalism in Kuwait 219 6.3 The Arab Nationalists’ Movement, Kuwait and Abroad 224 6.4 The National Youth Movement in Kuwait in the 1950s 228 6.5 Abdullah and the National Youth Movement in Kuwait 231 6.6 Kuwait, Arab Unity, and the British, 1899-1950 237 6.7 Abdullah, Arab Unity, and the British, 1950-65 244 6.8 Conclusion 255 Chapter Seven: Abdullah and Relations with Iraq 7.1 Introduction 257 7.2 Britain’s Role in Kuwaiti-Iraqi Relations, 1752-1950 258 7.3 Ahmad al-Jabir’s Strategies, 1921-50 269 7.4 Abdullah’s Strategies, 1950-65 277 7.5 Conclusion 293 Chapter Eight: Conclusion 296 Bibliography 317 5 FIGURES Figure 1: The direction/nature of the succession cases in al-Sabah House, 1766-1950 92 Figure 2: Minoprio, Spencely and Macfarlane’s plan 140 Figure 3: Minoprio Plan 142 Figure 4: Kuwaiti Development Board’s plan 147 Figure 5: Kuwait’s map of territorial authorities (inner red line and outer green line) as defined in the 1913 Anglo-Ottoman convection 261 Figure 6: Map of Kuwait’s border with Iraq and Najd (Saudi Arabia) after Uqair conference in 1923 271 Figure 7: Map showing Iraqi offer to lease Warba Island and a four Kilometre strip of Northern Kuwaiti land territory 281 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to extend my warmest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. James Onley, who guided me through the PhD process all the way to this moment of writing the acknowledgements section. I would also like to thank my second supervisor, Dr. Mark Valari, as well as Professor Christine Allison, for their advice. I would like to thank all who supplied me with useful testimonies and information for this thesis, Dr. Abdullah al-Ghunaim, Mr. Yusuf al-Nssuf, Mr. Ahmad al-Khatib, Mr. Yacoub al- Ibraheem, Dr. Ghanim al-Najjar, Dr. Abdulmalik al-Tamimi, Mr. Ahmad al-Deyain, Mr. Abdullah al-Naybari, Dr. Naiyf al-Shmrookh, Dr. Maimona al-Sabah, Dr. Najat Abdulqader al- Jassim, Mr. Saif Marzooq al-Shamlan, the family of the late ‘Aqab Al-Khatib (who died in 2013), Mrs. Mai al-Jen’ai, and Mr. Ali al-Raeis. This thesis is dedicated to my lovely wife, Nourah. Without her love, patience, sacrifice, prayers, and support, I would not have been able to finish this thesis. I would also like to dedicate this thesis to my son, Ahmad, who spent the first three years of his life in the United Kingdom with us while I wrote it. I would like to apologise to them for our time away from Kuwait, but soon we will return home. I also extend my gratitude to my parents, Ahmad Abdurrahman Alnajdi and Fawziah Salim al-Salim, who always supported and prayed for the completion of my PhD. Finally, I would like to thank my wife’s parents, Fadel Bouresli and Maha Bohamdi, for their concern and support during the writing of my PhD. 7 CHAPTER ONE Introduction “Justice is the basis of rulership” –– Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah 1.1. Introduction From the mid-eighteenth century, when the al-Sabah rose to prominence as the ruling family of Kuwait, up to the present (2014), there have been fifteen rulers from this family, although only a few of these have attracted the attention of historians. Chronologically, the first ruler of note was Sabah I (r. 1752-66), the first al-Sabah ruler of Kuwait, who was chosen by the ‘Utub tribal confederation.1 The second notable ruler was Mubarak al-Sabah (r.1896-1915), known as the founder of modern Kuwait. The third notable ruler, and the focus of this thesis, was Abdullah al- Salim al-Sabah (r.1950-65), Mubarak’s grandson. Abdullah is regarded as the architect of modern Kuwait: he pioneered the welfare state2 and rentier state in Eastern Arabia in the 1950s, transforming Kuwait in the process.3 1 ‘Utub is a tribal confederation of families that includes the al-Sabah (the ruling family of Kuwait) and the Al Khalifa (the ruling family of Bahrain), among many other families and tribes. The confederation originated from Najd in central Arabia, from where it migrated to Zubarra (on the northeast coast of Qatar) in the seventeenth century, then to Basra, then Kuwait in the early eighteenth-century, before splitting between Kuwait and Qatar in the 1760s. 2 Defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a system whereby the state undertakes to protect the health and well-being of its citizens, especially those in financial or social need, by means of grants, pensions, and other benefits. The foundations for the modern welfare state in the UK were laid by the Beveridge Report of 1942; proposals such as the establishment of a National Health Service and the National Insurance Scheme were implemented by the Labour administration in 1948.” 3 A rentier state is a state that derives all or a substantial portion of its national revenue from the “rent” of indigenous resources (particularly oil) to external clients. Hossein Mahdavy first postulated this theory in 1970: Hossein 8 Between 1896 and 1965, an era that encompassed the rulerships of Mubarak al-Sabah and Abdullah (the seventh and eleventh rulers respectively), Kuwait faced a number of difficult challenges: the era of Ottoman over-lordship (1871-1914) which threatened Kuwait’s autonomy, the struggle between Western colonial powers for supremacy in the Gulf (1890s-1914) that Kuwait found itself in the middle of, the First World War (1914-1918) on which Kuwait found itself on the front line, and the vacuum created after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the rise of Arab nationalism4 that threatened to undermine the al-Sabah’s position in Kuwait, and the Iraq-Kuwait Crisis of 1961 during which Kuwait risked being annexed by Iraq. Among all the rulers of Kuwait during this time –– namely: Mubarak (r.1896- 1915), Jabir II al-Mubarak (r.1915-17), Salim al-Mubarak (r.1917-21), Ahmad al-Jabir (r. 1921- 50), and Abdullah al-Salim (r.1950-65) –– it was Mubarak and Abdullah who struggled the most for the stability of Kuwait and the survival of the al-Sabah. Without their endeavours, Kuwait might not exist as an independent state today. Despite the significance of the three most notable rulers –– Sabah I, Mubarak, and Abdullah –– in the history of Kuwait, only Mubarak has been studied at any length.5 There are no book-length academic studies in English of the other two rulers. The scarcity of documentation is the main obstacle to compiling a study of Sabah I, but it is not clear why there Mahdavy, “the Patterns and Problems of Economic Development in Rentier States: the Case of Iran,” in Studies in Economic History of the Middle East, ed. M. A. Cook (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970). 4 Defined by Oxford index as a movement of “an anticolonial ethos and the glorification of origins and history in the face of Western dominance experienced by Arab countries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Aims at political reunification of all Arabic-speaking states. Roots traced by some scholars to eighteenth-century reform movements or nineteenth-century anticolonial movements; others consider it a twentieth-century phenomenon based on Arabic language and culture. Manifested in the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I to protest its Turkification program, and in the short-lived United Arab Republic (merger between Egypt and Syria from 1958 to 1961). Invoked by Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War in a failed attempt to unite Arabs and Muslims against Western powers.” 5 Salwa Muhammad al-Ghanim, “The Reign of Mubarak Al Sabah: Shaikh of Kuwait, 1896-1915” (PhD thesis, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1990); Sultan bin Muhammad al-Qasimi, Biyan al- Kuwaiyt: Siyrat Haiyat al-Shaiykh Mubarak al-Sabah (Lebanon: al-Mu’sasa al-’arabiya lil-nashsher, 2006); B. J. Slot, Mubarak al-Sabah: Founder of Modern Kuwait 1896-1915 (London: Arabian Publishing, 2005). 9