The effect of oil to policies of countries: Kuwait case

Oil is continuing to be influential in the political life of the oil-producing developing countries. While the political growth of those oil-dependent developing countries cannot reach at the target level, the perception of external threat often makes itself evident. This situation reveals the question whether oil is always "a curse of political source" in the political life of the oil-dependent countries. Based on Kuwait's example this study is carried on to explain the influence of the oil on the political growth and policies of the oil-dependent countries. It is observed that oil which is an important factor in the political life of producing countries whose development is source-dependent is a tool used by the policymakers both in the internal political life and foreign policy. Oil is utilized by the policymakers to provide the permanency of the authoritarian regime at home and at the same time, it is turned into a political tool in order to realize the foreign policy goals. Rentier state which asserts that oil is a hobble especially for the political growth of the developing countries is insufficient as being a single explanatory factor in the course of determining the direction of political life. Focused on Kuwait's example it is revealed that oil is an important factor also in the process of shaping foreign policy of such particularly small oil-dependent states. Along with sometimes enhancing the external vulnerability of small states, oil mostly can be an effective factor to maintain their existence by expanding the scope of manoeuvre at the international politics. Keywords: Kuwait, Oil, Small State, Rentier State, Foreign Policy.