KUWAIT: While the threat of war against Iraq has left many Kuwaitis fearful as their country is turned into a vast American military camp, there are others in Kuwait who not averse to making a quick buck out of the situation.
One such man is Mr Abdul Samad, who sells an American military jeep known as the humvee to worried Kuwaitis looking for a safe way of leaving the country, should airports close in the event of war.
Dubbed the "humvee king", Mr Samad is steadily amassing a private fortune trading in the vehicle used by American forces for transport and reconnaissance and capable of tackling Kuwait's rugged desert terrain.
"I simply love war," he confessed. "At the end of the first Gulf war, I made a lot of money selling old American uniforms to returning Kuwaitis. Now that Kuwaitis are thinking about leaving the country, they want humvees. They want the high performance and they like the look."
With fleets of US army humvees regularly sighted throughout the country as 62,000 soldiers deploy in the gulf region, it is not difficult to understand the appeal to concerned or image-conscious Kuwaitis.
But at $35,000 for each vehicle, it is an investment for only the most desperate of Kuwaitis. As Mr Samad revealed, however, he is also doing a roaring trade in flak-jackets and chemical and biological tents - "anything to make your stay in Kuwait more comfortable".
Mr Samad is not the only Kuwaiti who is enjoying the heightened tensions in the country.
Last week, Kuwait's stock market reached an all-time high and prices on the border with Iraq are steadily increasing as investors look forward to short war and the opening up of Iraqi markets.
"It is sad to say but a war is always a good opportunity to make money," said one investor.
"But we also hope that the money we are investing now will lay the foundations for bringing money to Iraq that will help rebuild the country when the war is over."