The Kuwaiti people and government were caught flat-footed when Iraq took but four days in 1990 to conquer this tiny emirate.

The tiny emirate resisted, putting at risk the lives of its citizens aboard, including three members of the royal family.

But this tiny, forward-looking emirate is an increasingly attractive alternative, from a host of different angles.

The contention stems historically from the way oil wealth transformed this tiny emirate into a unique society.

Protesters are few in this tiny, oil-rich emirate, the only nation to offer itself as a host after downtown Seattle was ransacked during the 1999 gathering.

And the pristine eight-lane highways that crisscross the tiny emirate are filled with drivers pushing their vehicles well beyond the laxly enforced speed limits.

Much of the power in the tiny emirate of 300,000, which sits on a huge natural gas reserve, was already in the hands of the Crown Prince.

Thus, the ruling al-Sabah family and the rest of the Sunni Moslem elite fear a destabilization of the tiny emirate.

The extent of their debacle was somewhat uncertain this evening because of varying accounts and tallies coming from the tiny, oil-rich emirate.

The tiny Basque emirate was faced by enemies in several directions.