Nikolay V. Sukhov The Mission of Y.M. Primakov: An Attempt at a Diplomatic Way Out of the Kuwait Crisis (1990–1991)

Abstract

The article presents a scholarly interpreted interview with the outstanding statesman and diplomat, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yevgeny M. Primakov (1929–2015), recorded in September 2010 for the RT Arabic TV channel. This unique historical document is devoted to the events of the 1990 Kuwait crisis, which became the prelude to the Gulf War and one of the last major challenges for the foreign policy of the Soviet Union amid the end of the Cold War and the rapid weakening of its positions on the international stage.

The interview gains particular value from the dual perspective of its author: Primakov appears both as a direct participant in diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing a military operation against Iraq and as an analyst reflecting on the events from a historical distance. The conversation reveals the positions of key actors (from the USSR to Arab states and Western partners), discusses internal disagreements within the Soviet leadership, and provides details of Primakov’s personal mission to Baghdad in January 1991 as Special Envoy of the President of the USSR.

The scholarly commentary accompanying the text aims to reconstruct the international context, clarifies diplomatic terminology and historical realities, and highlights the significance of this mission as the final expression of the foreign policy initiative of the Soviet Union. The publication introduces into academic circulation a unique testimony from a participant in a pivotal moment in world politics, while preserving the lively tone and personal style of the interlocutor.

Keywords:

Y.M. Primakov, Gulf War, Kuwait crisis, Soviet diplomacy, Saddam Hussein, international relations, RT Arabic, 1990–1991, foreign policy, Cold War.

For сitation:

Sukhov N.V.  The Mission of Y.M. Primakov: An Attempt at a Diplomatic Way Out of the Kuwait Crisis (1990–1991). 2025. Vol. LV. P. 130–161. DOI: 10.35549/HR.2025.2025.55.007

Nikolay V. Sukhov

C.Sc. (History), Leading Researcher at the E.M. Primakov Center for Near Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russian Federation.

e-mail: soukhov@yandex.ru

ORCID: 0000-0002-6767-3352