This study examines the relationships between Kuwait and the Soviet Union from 1961 to 1991, chiefly by analyzing not only the factors that drove Kuwait to form diplomatic relationships with Moscow in 1963 but also how domestic, regional, and international variables affected the development of those relationships until 1991. The study presents the analytical and historical research methods used to reach its findings. Among the findings, Kuwait’s decision to forge diplomatic relationships with Moscow in 1963 indeed seems to have been driven by domestic, regional, and international factors, including Kuwait’s geographical situation, the historical background of the relationships between Kuwait and Moscow, and the structure of the international system between 1961 and 1991. At the same time, the findings also imply that the Kuwaiti decision to establish relationships with Moscow was influenced by an Iraqi threat—the well-known Qasim crisis in 1961—as reflected on the international stage when the Soviet Union vetoed a proposal to accept Kuwait as a member of the United Nations. At that time, local political groups in Kuwait, primarily communist and nationalist ones, had limited influence on the Kuwaiti government’s adoption of a foreign policy that would strike a balance between the West and the East during the Cold War and involve establishing diplomatic relationships with the Soviet Union. Moreover, the findings suggest that major regional and international events additionally influenced the development of relationships between Kuwait and the Soviet Union: the mentioned Qasim crisis (1961–1963), the Iraqi–Iranian war (1980–1988), and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (1990–1991). For as long as they lasted, their relationships were also often influenced by regional and international factors: regionally, whether Iraq was a player or determinant and strategic relationships between Iraq and Moscow; and internationally, US influence in the region of the Persian Gulf.
