Kim Kardashian -- Education in the Middle East

Kim Kardashian is about to embark on a whirlwind trip to Kuwait and Bahrain ... and TMZ has learned she's hoping to educate herself on the Middle East crisis while she's in town.

Sources close to Kim tell us ... KK initially agreed to the trip to make appearances at some Millions of Milkshakes shops opening in the two countries.

But after her recent Twitter controversy -- centered around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- Kim is telling friends she's determined to use the trip to educate herself about the political situation in the region.

As one source puts it, "Kim wants to be as informed as possible ... so she can use her celebrity to help those in need and raise awareness about important issues in the area."

We're told Kim -- who will be under the constant protection of a private security squad -- has already set up meetings in both countries with local leaders.