Political power and foreign trade of Kuwait under the British protectorate (1899-1961 )Historical study

The study was titled "Political Power and Kuwait's Foreign Trade Under the British Protection (1899-1961 AD)". It dealt with political stability in Kuwait, which paved the way for the political authority to activate Kuwait's foreign trade. After Sheikh Mubarak signed the protection treaty with Britain in the year (1899 AD), he realized that trade is important for Kuwait and Kuwaiti citizens, and he sought by all means to create the appropriate environment for the renaissance of the economy, so he was interested in establishing commercial agencies abroad, to help Kuwaiti merchants and the Kuwaiti community in "India, Yemen and East Africa". This helped revitalize trade and its prosperity in his era, it also dealt with the role played by the Kuwaiti Commercial Port in facilitating trade activities since the establishment of the emirate in general, as it is the backbone of the movement of goods that come to it or cross through it to various countries of the world, and the interest in organizing Kuwaiti customs, which has been closely linked to the establishment and development of ports. That is through the procedures that have been taken to determine the percentage of customs duties in a way that balances the emirate between achieving customs revenues and encouraging trade, in a way that transforms Kuwait into a major commercial center in the region. As well as dealing with the role played by the markets and their regulation in the disposal of products and goods of various types and sources, both in land and in the sea. This made Kuwait a center for the caravan and transit trade at that time. Moreover, the study had attracted the rulers interests in diversifying sources of income by encouraging pearl diving, which resulted in that Kuwait sends its goods to Alshaam and Hijaz, and even to Astana. Another interest is making ships, especially large ones, so that the Kuwaiti merchant can reach its trade to ocean ports and using them aswell for diversified fishing methods. Finally, the study dealt with how Kuwait turned into a commercial center in the northern Gulf after it was established, by building a large commercial fleet of sailing ships to transport goods from Kuwait to Basra and the coasts of the Arabian Gulf and the ports of India, Ceylon, East Africa and Iran, where it became a center for companies crossing continents and seas.