WASHINGTON Ñ Kuwait will seek a U.S. defense umbrella against Iraq
even after the destruction of the regime of President Saddam Hussein, a
report says.
The report by the Strategic Studies Institute said Kuwait will continue
to fear Iraq even after Saddam is driven from power. Entitled "U.S. Military
Presence in the Gulf: Challenges and Prospects," the report said Kuwait
believes that Baghdad, regardless of who is in power, will not end its claim
that the sheikdom is part of Iraq.
[On Tuesday, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah
said his country would not be involved in any military operation against
Iraq. The foreign minister said the military would focus in defending the
sheikdom, Middle East Newsline reported.]
"The U.S. position in Kuwait stands on firm bases and is not likely to
change drastically, not even in a post-Saddam Iraq," the report, written by
Sami Hajjar, a professor at the U.S. War College, said. "This is because as
many Kuwaitis suspect, the Iraqi claim of Kuwait is national rather than
regime-specific. Future Iraqi generations are also likely to blame Kuwait
for the negative impact of the sanctions. It is a case where national
[Iraqi, Kuwaiti] blood is thicker than Arab blood, so that Iraqis will hold
a grudge against Kuwait for years to come."
Kuwait has approved a larger U.S. military presence in the sheikdom and
so far about 10,000 U.S. troops are in the country. The sheikdom has decided
to upgrade facilities used by U.S. Central Command, including Camp Doha and
the air bases at Al Jaber and Ali Salem. The project is expected to cost
about $200 million.
The report said that among the six Gulf Cooperation Council states
Kuwait is the most supportive of a U.S. military presence. Kuwait is not
expected to request new terms in the defense pact with the United States and
plans to spend huge amounts of money on U.S. military equipment. In
addition, Kuwait
pays most of the expenses relating to the U.S. military deployment.
"At the same time, however, and despite the strong support for U.S.
presence, the perception among the average citizen is that by paying for all
the expenses associated with U.S. military presence, Kuwait is being taken
advantage of," the report said. "Such a perception has led the government to
emphasize that the military bases housing U.S. military personnel and
equipment [primarily Camp Doha at the outskirts of the capital] are Kuwaiti
and not U.S. bases."
The report said the United States does not envision any coalition
forming in the sheikdom that would lead to the expulsion of American troops.
Even the Islamic opposition has accepted the need of a U.S. military
presence, the report said.