Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1922

During the First World War, the Sykes–Picot Agreement was struck between the foreign ministers of Great Britain and France on behalf of their respective governments on a vision of a post war division of the Ottoman Empire in which the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire (south and west of Anatolia) would be split into spheres of influence for the French and British. That France and Great Britain are prepared to recognize and protect an independent Arab states or a confederation of Arab states (a) and (b) marked on the annexed map, under the suzerainty of an Arab chief. That in area (a) France, and in area (b) Great Britain, shall have priority of right of enterprise and local loans. That in area (a) France, and in area (b) Great Britain, shall alone supply advisers or foreign functionaries at the request of the Arab state or confederation of Arab states. ==Insurgency==

The Anglo-Iraqi Treaty was signed due mostly to the strenuous efforts of the people of the former Ottoman provinces, a coalition of both Sunni and Shia Arabs. Major centres of insurgency during what was later called the "Great Iraqi Revolution" of 1920 included, Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala. The insurgency effort in Karbala was inflamed by a fatwa issued by the grand mujtahid, Imam Shirazi. This fatwa made the observation that it was contrary to the principles of Islam for the region to be ruled by the British, who did not practice Islam. The fatwa ordered a jihad against the British forces of occupation. The Kurds of the northern part of the region also waged war against the British in the years following the signing and ratification of the treaty. They sought separation from newly created Iraq, aiming to establish a separate homeland for themselves. Their efforts at revolt were tempered by the British, in large part due to air-to-ground attacks conducted by the Royal Air Force, but the aid of other Kurds to defeat the revolt were of significant consequence. ==The Cairo Conference==

The Cairo Conference of 1921 would set the stage for greater Iraqi autonomy. The British appointed Faisal ibn Hasayn to lead the country as the first King of Iraq. Faisal was seen as a compromise between British interests in the country, and the revolutionary nationalists; he could trace his family lineage back to Muhammad, as well as having participated in the 1916 Arab revolt against the Ottomans. For their part, the British saw Faisal as a dependable ally which would aid them in accomplishing their imperial goals. ==The Signing==

The treaty was controversial in Great Britain because of a very strong ‘Quit Mesopotamia; (or 'Quit Iraq)’ movement. If Iraq did not ratify, Britain might have withdrawn from Iraq. The key player in obtaining the support was High Commissioner, Sir Henry Dobbs. He took full advantage of distance to make decisions and act in line with his own, not London’s approach. The treaty was signed on behalf of the British by Sir Percy Cox on 10 October 1922. However, it was not ratified by the Iraqi government until 1924. It was only when Dobbs threatened to wield his authority to scrap the constitution, drafted by the Iraqi constituent assembly, that the treaty was finally ratified. It was seen with disdain by many of the people of the new Kingdom, both Sunni and Shia. While it was the first step towards complete independence from the imperial powers. ==Suspension==

The Treaty was eventually suspended upon the signing of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930. ==See also==

• The History Guy accessed on 13 April 2008. • Encyclopaedia of the Orient [http://i-cias.com/e.o/angl_tr_iraq1.htm accessed on 9 August 2007. • Chronological Table of Middle East History accessed on 9 September 2007. • Encyclopædia Britannica [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/25055/Anglo-Iraqi-Treaty • Wilks, Ann. "The 1922 Anglo-Iraq Treaty: A Moment of Crisis and the Role of Britain’s Man on the Ground." British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 43.3 (2016): 342-359. This article uses an image reproduced from http://www.passia.org with permission (Mahmoud Abu Rumieleh, Webmaster).